Displaced Battlefield
by mistakendragon815
Summary: Medic has been severely injured after Teufort became corrupted by an outside source. The soldiers have left to find out what the hell is going on. Medic/Engie. Torture, smut. HIATUS for quite some time. Anyone who can offer inspiration would be a gem.
1. Plasma Ruins

**It's been QUITE some time sinced I've posted a story. And why not start off this good year with a TF2 fanfic.  
>This will be an<strong> _Engineer/Medic_** Fanfic. Depending on where the comments want me to go with this. I can make this my first Yaoi, change the pairing. The decision is YOURS! (Dramatic much...)**

**Anyway, I don't own TF2, Valve does. Yadda, yadda, yadda.**

"Quit your complainin', roadrunner! Gotta dispenser right 'ere!" The loud metal clanging of the Engineer's Jag jolted against the freshly built piece of said equipment. He wouldn't admit to anybody at that time that he was visualizing the Scout's head, but he needed some sort of stress relief on the battlefield. At least he could get some sort of relief here anyway.

"What are you smilin' at, Hardhat?" Scout had been jogging on the spot by the dispenser when he noticed the manic grin on Engineer's face. Either he was laughing at his own jogging or had finally gone crazy. "You laughin' at me?"

CRIZZ-TZRING! "MAGGOTS!"

In the split second Engineer noticed the flaming critical rocket hurtling towards himself, Scout and his machine, he tackled the boy sideways from harm. A split second. Too late. The rocket careened into the dispenser, sending shrapnel flying in every direction. Two large pieces embedded themselves into the slow, flailing legs of the Engineer. He was in mid-air when they connected and instantly pinned him down into the wooden floors from the sheer force of entering.

Engineer sent Scout flying towards the automatic doorway of the respawn room, which had opened for the Medic who had been backstabbed not too long ago. Unfortunately for him, Scout was in his path and bowled him over. A cry of pain brought Medic back to his senses "Ugh, Medic!" Fixing his glasses and shoving Scout out of his way, Medic awkwardly made his way over to his fallen Engineer.

PRRRRSHHHH! The satisfying firing of the level 3 sentry gun making an impact on the rogue BLU Soldier brought a panged smile on Engineer's face. The expression was short lived when he tried to lift his body up to have a look and brought eruptions of pain to freshly flow through his legs. "Do not move, Mein Freund." Billowing white coat tails encased Engineer's vision for a moment before they settled along with the wearer beside him. A light touch to his back felt like heaven. "Be still."

The touch on his back trailed quickly down to his legs, grasping his left leg firmly. Medic needn't have to worry about being interrupted with the Sentry less than 10ft from his position. From his years of being on the field, it took less than a minute for Medic to tear Engineers left pants leg apart and remove both hunks of metal from the limb. Engineer growled in pain, biting his gloved hand for comfort. Suddenly, like ice flowing through his hot, Texan blood, the Medigun sent its healing rays through his body and down to his legs, stitching them up like torn fabric. Medic offered his hand with a grin. He took it with a duplicate expression. "Thanks, partner."

"MEDIK!" Like lightning, Medic sprang into action to attend the loud, anguished calls of Heavy. Some days it irked him to be the trained puppy to be at the beck and call of the Russian, but today was not one of those days. After a rare healing of Engineer, confidence was running through him. Medic activated his gun at the Heavy and followed him obediently onto the oddly placed battlefield of Teufort. "We make good team, Doktor!"

Medic could barely hear his comrade over the screams of both Natascha whirling with gunfire and those of his enemies being mowed down mercilessly. He assumed they were all positive considering how many kills they were achieving. A gap in enemy fire allowed the duo and the trailing Pyro, whom had being checking for Spies for Medic, to enter the BLU stronghold and into their courtyard. With effortless timing, Medic activated his Uber in time for a sentry to fire its rockets at them. A dull thud dropped Medic to the ground, knocking him out. "DOKTOR!"

Heavy could feel his charge prematurely leaving him. Luckily the sentry blew up when it did. The Russian looked behind him and saw Medic on the ground with blood (Pyro's) all over his coat. Without thinking of the implications, Heavy scooped Medic up, throwing him over his shoulder, whipped out his G.R.U and darted for the entrance to the Intel. Not one BLU member, machine or otherwise, was hidden in the underground base. Lucky break. Heavy ungraciously plonked Medic in the corner of the Intel room, next the desk, and grabbed the little Medigun. The healing had no effect.

Nervously, Heavy dropped the Medigun and bent down and shook his friends shoulder roughly. "Wake up, Doktor. Is no time to sleep." A smile spread on Heavy's face when the Medic blinked his eyes open and clutched the back of his head in agony. "Da, Doktor. You are awake! Quick, grab the tiny intelligence!" The roar of the Heavy's words pounded into Medic's ears like a sledgehammer to cement. Not well received.

Medic shook his head angrily. He figured Pyro must have blown up behind them and he got in the way of a floundering limb. Trying his best to down his current frustration with Heavy, he replied modestly, albeit half-heartedly, "Ja, Herr Kamerad, let's go." Slapping the Intel to his back, the duo left hastily. The Announcer would not let their thievery go unnoticed to the BLU's.

"COME ON, YOU FOREIGNERS! MOVE YOUR BUTTS!" The two man cavalry coverage of the RED Solider and Scout (who was occupied beforehand with the BLU's Sniper) hustled down the spiralled stairwell to their aid. "Floor's upstairs occupied, troops! We need a battle plan!"

With a finger in one ear and his other handling his Medigun, the Medic replied viciously, "Herr Soldier, ve are right here. Zhere iz no need to shout." Solider just stared blankly back at the Medic thinking he had gone mad. Medic rolled his eyes. "Zcout; take ze intelligence. Mein Freund and I will clear you a path."

"Right on, Doc. Let's go." The passing intelligence was taken eagerly by the flighty Boston. They were making their way up the stairwell; Medic and Heavy taking the lead with Soldier flanking them all, when 3 spiked bombs flashed twice as the they rounded the 2nd last corner and exploded in Heavy's face. Quick to act, the Russian restarted his interrupted spinning turret, eager to open fire on the yet-to-be-discovered Demoman. Pleasantries of the bullet kind needn't be made to the fresh Scottish corpse and the French that made him so.

"Gentlemen," was all the tiny squadron got from the enigmatic Spy before he faded into mist. Not to dwell on the kill, the group rushed out with raging battle cries and sprayed the BLU camp with missiles, bullets and noise. The Spy must have purposely left the level 2 turret for the Heavy to destroy. Maybe he did out of sheer ignorance or perhaps out of entertainment if he still happened to be in the room to spectate the explosions. Heavy never asked. He found too much enjoyment destroying stuff on Ubercharge to care.

Hearing the distinctive eruption of a beaten sentry, Scout dart out of the base and towards the exposed balcony where a lone BLU Sniper was oblivious to his entrance. A smack to the face with a candy cane undid all that and sent the Australian straight to the ground. "Yo, did ya even see me hittin' ya? Nah, too busy lookin' down ya scope, coward!" After the successful hit, the race to the RED was 4 jumps away and zero enemies to get in his way. That was the least you could say for his comrades back at BLU.

Either a malfunction in the BLU's respawn was causing this or…well, Medic could think of another reason as to why so many Demomen were suddenly pouring out of the doors of their base. "Move, move, move!" Medic had never been so relieved to hear Solider say anything so close to his ear before in his life than just then. Heavy hoisted his gun quickly and busted out his shotgun. "What are you doing, you maggot!"

"Natascha is out of bullets!" Heavy started running backwards to the alternate exit to their right, pulling out his running gloves as he rounded the corner to make for a quick get away with the others. They jumped ungraciously down the hole and fled for the bridge, hearing cries of pain as a random critical rocket collided with 3 of the 20 Demomen who now hunted them. Medic prayed Sniper was up to the job that was coming his way. The man seemed to get off on head-shots. A grin came to Medic's face. Pun intended.

Then, like an atomic bomb, the malfunction mutated from the BLU base to encompass the entire area of Teufort. The non-functioning bulbs of the street lamps exploded. A deep, low bass drop thrummed and vibrated the camp, blowing Soldier's helmet off his head and off-balancing the RED Sniper and causing him to fall on the rickety floorboards. The BLU Demo-army reacted in a different way. They exploded in a shimmering display of plasma and voltage charges. So they _were_ holograms, mused Medic as he witnessed the odd display.

Ke-tsssshhh. A gentle whine hissed from the Medipack; apparently a warning of an imminent self-destruct sequence for Medic to heed. What was only to follow the unpredictable event was a colourful display of metal, escaping Uber and the blood of a soon to be dead Medic. The medicine man screamed in pain. From the balustrading, the Engineer had come to the aid of Sniper after his machines randomly blew up and shared the experience of hearing the doctor's cry in pain with the Australian. "DOKTOR!" Of course Heavy was going to show the first signs of aid for the German. They were the closest teammates to ever be in battle, and it killed Heavy to ever hear Medic in pain. This anguish the Medic voiced was something Heavy had never heard though. It was long. It was on going.

It wasn't being healed to silence.

From the corner of his now exposed eyes, Soldier could tell the Sniper and Engineer were about to jump down and see what the commotion was all about, and growled, "Don't jump men! We have no healing on our side for your broken legs!" Resigned, the two stood and ran as fast as they could to lend a hand.

"Uhh, He-Herr Heavy." Medic tried to lift himself into a sitting position but proved too weak to do so. Collapsing onto his back, a rush of unnaturally painful adrenaline bolted him into a half-seated point before rolling sideways onto his shoulder and thigh, his back away from the 2 men. With an ear to the ground and teeth etching marks into his tongue, Medic could clearly hear the arriving footsteps of Engineer and Sniper.

Heavy laid a weighty hand on Medic's shoulder for comfort, looking back at Soldier who had proceeded to patrol the area, just in case the BLU's were not as occupied as they were. Feeling his hand growing moist, the Russian retrieved it only to find the tips encased in blood. German blood. "Medik!"

The alarm in Heavy's voice was enough for Engineer to drop to one knee and skid the rest of the way to Medic's side. It seemed quicker, he thought. The skid took him too far beside the doctor and revealed the horror of his back. A massive gaping wound oozing blood and covered in spikes of broken metal. Each piece had embedded itself almost half an inch into the skin, maybe more. From his neck to his lower back was exposed skin; the fabric being shredded by the blast.

Without thinking, Engineer took on authority. "Right, Heavy, pick tha Doc up an' take 'im to tha respawn. Soldier, make sure we ain't bein' followed. Don't 'spose them BLU's got as much trouble as we do." On the contraire, the opposing team had been blown into oblivion. A destroyed respawn breaker would do that to a platoon.

Heavy picked Medic with a gentleness that surprised the team. "Come along now, Doktor." The Russian's voice matched his care and strolled off back inside the base holding Medic like he was nothing more than a ragdoll. Despite the situation, Engineer couldn't help but smile. Sure, he was a little jealous of their relationship, but that's what happens when you constantly defend each other on a daily basis. Undeniable trust that he had yet to gain from the foreigners. He knew he played a vital roll that deserved trust, but nothing on their scale.

Engineer, Sniper and Solider walked together in silence to the respawn room, rearranging the scant furniture to make a makeshift table to lay Medic upon. Heavy waited patiently whilst constantly checking to see if his hands weren't getting on the wound. "All right, solider! Lay the German here!" Even without a battle going on, Solider still made his dramatic noises and flourishes. Heavy ignored the American lunatic and looked to Engineer for final confirmation. A single nod.

Heavy laid Medic onto his stomach just as the door to the respawn opened and in walked Scout and Spy. They were the last of the team members and neither looked happy. "Yo guys, what's the deal wit' everything blowin' up. The Intel just burst inta flames." Spy smacked him on the head.

"Quiet, boy. Do you not see vhat is 'appening 'ere?" Spy had been fiddling with his pocket watch which he promptly returned back into his vest lest people see its fried and useless face. "Vhat went wrong with ze doctuer?"

"Medik's healing pack exploded."

Engineer had pulled up a seat next to the Medic and began to remove the man's gloves and his own singular one. Lucky they worn the same size and they were clean. Studying the gaping wound thoughtfully, Engineer tenderly removed the surrounding fabric and set to work cleaning the area with a cloth Heavy had handed him. He seemed to be the only one besides himself who remotely took interest in what was actually going on. Everyone else was bickering over the failing equipment. All except Sniper, who had taken upon himself to leave the room and be a lookout at his balcony. He quickly became agitated by the escalating noise that was spewing out of Solider and Scout. "Quiet!"

Solider immediately dropped Scout's collar, dropping the city boy to the floor. A hush settled over the room and all eyes were trained on the usually quiet engineer. "Does anyone know any kind of medicine?" Everyone in his view shook his head. Medic usually kept his medical knowledge to himself. "Fine, then ya'll shuddup and leave. BLU's might onto us." Grumbling followed the order and all but Heavy left. Engineer just looked at him blankly through his reflective goggles. "Heavy?"

"Heavy watch Medik sometimes heal himself after battles." Engineer removed his hardhat and goggles and smiled.

"Alrighty then. Let's get ta work."

**I guess you're use to the usual placement of what goes here, with the review pleads and such. Also, if you would like me to draw for your fanfic, give me a message. Thanks!**


	2. Surgery?

**A/N:**** I apologize that I haven't updated this in a VERY long time. I had received a particularly hateful PM about my work so I stopped but some motivational reviews got me back into the story. Thank you for all the reviews so far.  
>Also, again, if you want this to be an EngieMedic or Medic/Heavy story, let me know your thoughts. And still looking for a Beta :) **

"Doc?" In his ears, Medic heard a faintly familiar Texan drawl. It sounded as if it was coming out from an old grainy Gramophone. "Doc, if ya can hear me, don't move." Medic felt too sluggish to even reply with a grunt. His back felt like it had been shredded apart by Pyro's rake. Curiously though, the pain had been dulled slightly. Maybe it was morphine, which would mean a teammate would've had to go into his medical bay to retrieve such a substance. If that was the case, as soon as he was able to move, he'd kill the one responsible.

But if there was anyone in his team he would trust medically, it would certainly be the Texan. The man was a rocket scientist, so a few needles and perhaps a vasectomy should be sufficient for him _if_ he was the culprit. Medic liked his company too much. The German just thought that he would _never_ be the one on the receiving end of his American colleague.

Rubbery fingers probed Medic's bare skin before halting every so often to extract a sharp fragment painfully out. Medic felt like he wanted to heave up his breakfast every time but never made a sound. He was all too use to pain. A cold trickle down his left ribcage was slowly wiped up. It felt as though the retriever was feeling around for something. Must have been wishful thinking if he thought the Engineer was just taking his time to touch his muscles. The hand returned to its poking and mining.

A third hand joined the Medic's ravished back, sliding up to squeeze his shoulder before disappearing. By the size and weight of it, the hand must have belonged to Heavy. _His_ Heavy. "Mru erlse ist ere…" Medic cursed internally as his tongue betrayed him. If he only _just_ felt Heavy's presence, who the heck else was in the room? Or battleground? Or wherever he was? He needed to know now, but his eyes refused to open. They felt like lead.

"Doktor! Are you good?" Heavy's firm hand fell against Medic's upper arm. He could hear the alert and worry in his Russian comrade's voice but he wished the man would remove the comfort touch. It was jamming a fragment of metal deep within his muscles. Medic groaned in discomfort.

"'ngineer, whro elst is 'ere?"

Engineer looked around the room and noticed with great surprise that it was only him and Heavy present. The other soldiers had actually _listened_ to _his_ command without an argument or even a smartass quip? Well, that was at least one less thing to worry about. "Just me 'n Heavy, Doc. Are ya feeling anything?" Mustering enough energy up to brush Heavy's hand off of his shoulder, Medic grunted loudly and began to heave himself into an upright sitting position. A wet yet soft hand slid under his arm to balance his upheaval and straighten his final posture. "Woah now, Medic. No need ta hurt yerself ta give me an answer now."

Medic coughed up a hoarse laugh, doubled over and groaned once more in displeasure. "Herr Conagher," Engineer blinked in stunned shock at the sound of his civilian name, "please continue." Medic turned his head a little to alert Heavy that his attention had been shifted. "Heavy, mein Freund, could please leave." It was not a request. Heavy sighed and exited the control point with Sasha in hand. The hissing of the control door alerted Soldier of the large man and allowed the American to unleash an hours' worth of silence on the Russian.

Leaning forward and hunching his back, Medic closed his eyes and silently waited for Engineer to continue on with his 'operation'. "Ah just got one more of these lil' suckers to go, Doc." Engineer never realized how hard it was to make short talk with the German. The way it went after a day's battling, the taller man would resign to his quarters and not come out until either Soldier summoned some kind of bizarre and meaningless meeting, or if they needed him again in battle. The Texan also never realized how pale he was. The man definitely needed to get out more.

Making sure Medic's eyes were closed, Engineer removed his left glove and brought his forearm up against the man's back and compared tones. His was more of a gold hue thanks to the hours he spent in the Sun minding his machines. Gently placing his hand down on Medic's blood-slickened back, Engineer slid it slowly up from his blade to his shoulder, revelling in the smooth wet skin underneath. As a distraction from the touch, he quickly yanked the last sliver with more force than intended. Strangely Medic didn't yell.

He did however allow all his weight to lean himself forward and drop heavily onto the ground. A loud thud and crack that was definitely the German's glasses smashing apart echoed the room. Engineer cried out in disbelief. "Doc! Aww geez." Quick as a flash, Engineer was down on the floor and scooping up Medic into his lap, taking extra care not to touch his back. Engie grabbed the German's chin and shook it forcefully. "Medic! Medic!" Deciding on a drastic move, Engineer slapped the man with his wet gloveless hand and shouted, "Steindorff!" Engineer only knew the doctor's last name.

Medic yelped and shook his head slowly whilst his hand instinctively went to his stinging cheek. Feeling an unusual amount of warmth circulating around him and numbly sensing the touch of a strong arm surrounding his shoulder, Medic managed to loll his head to face the owner. Engineer beamed happily that Medic was alive and tightened his grip on the man's shoulders, earning him a moan. "Oops, sorry Doc. Tryin' not ta touch ya wound."

Shrugging off the Texan's hold, Medic rolled onto his hands and knees. In his mind, he was cursing himself for vulnerableness. Never would he show such lack of discipline. _Time to get it together_! With Engineer's covered but nonetheless piercing gaze watching his every movement, the medicine man pushed his body upright, balancing on his knees but with a surprising straight back. After a few breaths and a dramatic slouch taking to his posture, Medic shifted, staggered and stumbled to gather his footing; the result having him crash into a wall, a good leaning point for his hunched and bleeding frame to rest.

"Herr Engineer," Medic panted, "Bitte for ze assistance. Vould dyou please leave." Cold blue eyes caught the reflection of Engineers goggles, taking the stout man aback. After all he had done?

"But Doc—"

"NEIN!"

A single drop of blood splashed audibly on the tiles. That was all Engineer needed to ignore Medic outcry and move towards the gauze in the almost bear cabinet in the room. Medic had wasted all his energy in his resounding negative command to even move. Only his eyes followed the American around the room. "Listen Doc, ah know yer not tha kinda fella ta accept help, but'cha gotta let me tape ya up." No spoken response yielded from Engineer's little speech.

Neither man spoke as Medic averted his glare from Engineer to the ground and began to unfasten his coat, vest and shirt buttons. Slowly but surely the many layers of the medicine man's upper attire were folded, as if in habit, and dropped to the ground in a semi-neat pile. Decently ripped arm muscles and a slight showing of an underfed six pack were exposed to Engineer's currently blank face. _A man's body was a man's body…A hungry body? Did the man not eat all of his rations? Maybe he gave half to his flock._ Engineer blinked out of his thought and concentrated on the happenings in front of him. The doctor was looking at him with expectance. "Vell?"

Tipping his helmet back and smiling, the mechanic made his way across the room and noticed that Medic had already raised his arms out from his body to make room for the bandage. _Of course he did, you mook. He's a doctor._ Without skipping a beat, he placed the dressing on a bloody patch on Medic's ribcage and proceeded to wrap up his torso. Looping a few bands around each shoulder, the Texan pinned the end on Medic's chest, above his heart, and nodded happily.

Again Engineer tipped his helmet, only this time to make it easier to place his goggles on top. The bright blue orbs constantly hidden by a welder's eyeglass shone brilliantly against the LED lights, catching Medic's attention. His own steel grey eyes, equally as bright but dulled by his hooded gaze, looked down at the shorter man. Engineer frowned for a split second at what the German's expression held before realizing it was gratitude. The German soldier would never say allowed what he was truly feeling though. "Danke, Engineer." His voice was a mere hoarse whisper but was loud enough to be heard.

Grateful in hearing his teammate speak kindly to him on a personal level, Engineer opened his mouth to utter a response when the signature hiss of the entrance sounded.

"DOKTOR! ENGINEER! GET DOWN!"


	3. Kerfuffle

**A/N: Well I was pretty stoked after the extremely kind reviews I got for the previous chapter that I was motivated to get this one finished ASAP. I'm going to go with the Engie/Medic pairing, because according to many, it's a rare pairing. I love to two characters and I'm glad so many people agree with me.  
><strong>**Also, my least likeable character is Scout, so don't get mad if you don't see too much of him in this story. Without further babbling, ANOTHER CHAPTER!**

It all happened within the span of not even a second. 2 still-flaccid corpses of Pyro and Demo flung, seemingly on their own accord, through the door of the respawn foyer and smacked solidly against Heavy's back. The Russian had stopped directly in front of the two other occupants and steeled himself for the impact, only grunting afterwards. Peeking around both sides of Heavy were Medic and Engineer, both sporting befuddled gazes. Medic spoke with a hint of anger in his voice. "Heavy, vhat ist going on?"

"Leetle Soldier is upset with Heavy." Medic's face told him to continue. Heavy sighed and thought of the proper English words to make his point. "Heavy vas wondering where de Pyro and exploding man were. Ve went to walk around base. Ve find dem almost dead in sewers."

"Wait on'a sec there, pardner. Yer sayin' Pyro and Demo were _almost_ dead? Why'd they fly through this here room just then?"

"Soldier shot dem. Explode-y man asked. Dey say dey were...elec…electe-"

"Electrocuted!" Medic offered impatiently. He really needed to sit down. His back was killing him.

"Da! He said flame gun exploded into blue sparkys and shock water."

"Then vhy vould Herr Soldier throw them here?"

"Angry man vas angry you were hurt and not helping dem."

Engineer knew that as soon as Heavy had uttered those words that they were the wrong things to say to the injured doctor. Before he could even grab the bleeding and shirtless man, Medic roughly shoved his Russian comrade, grabbed his Amputator in one fluid motion from his locker on his way out and entered the filthy barn that was the RED Base. "_SOLDAT_!" Medic's entire frame was heaving, protesting against its use of walking and carrying heavy objects. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him upright now.

Like a blood-hungry hound, Medic marched down the courtyard stairs and into the covered basement where he found his target just about to enter to sewers for the second time. "_SOLDAT_!" The American stopped but did not turn. "Wer zum Teufel glaubst du sind?" Spittle sprayed from the German's mouth; he was too furious to worry about translating his words to the degrading English language.

"Use words I can understand, Kraut, otherwise I ain't lookin' at ya!" Soldier slowly placed his rocket launcher on his back and pulled out his shotgun, readying it with its signature sliding click made louder by the sewer chamber below.

Three steps forwards and a splash of blood escaping from his bindings hit the dirt. "Who do you sink you are?" Finally the Soldier turned. His helmet still covered his eyes but he nonetheless saw the gruesome doctor not even five paces in front of him, wielding a still clean saw in his right hand. Maybe a shotgun was overkill now, but he didn't change his weapon of choice. The German could still be quick.

Engineer, Sniper, Spy and Scout raced around the corner, all stopping dead when they saw the scene playing out in front of them. The unmistakeable footfalls of Heavy thudded out through the alternate passage. "DOKTOR! Vat you doing?"

"Molchi, tyazhelyĭ! Ne podkhodi blizhe!"_(Be quiet, Heavy! Don't come any closer!)_ Spending hours and hours, years upon years of protecting his Russian friend, Medic had learned the man's language, knowing it was difficult for the giant to interpret to English.

"Nyet, vy ne dolzhny obidetʹ soldata. On ne khotel etogo." _(No, you don't have to hurt Soldier. He didn't mean it.)_

Either this was a part of Heavy's distracting plan or something that happened to play in Soldier's favour, the American, as quiet as he's ever been, snuck quickly up on Medic, gun raised and growled, "Time's up, you Nazi bastard! You had your chance. You could have saved those men!"

Turning his head and snatching the barrel of the shotgun, Medic replied with venom dripping in his voice, "Vell, if I didn't have mein _own_ equipment explode on me, zen I vould have." Sarcasm invaded his speech. "Zo if you sink I am a traitor for being hurt," he pressed his head firmly against the muzzle, "zen SHOOT!"

Soldier gritted his teeth at the brazen words of his, putting the term lightly, teammate and yanked his gun away from the man's grip. "Vhy are you blaming me ven you are ze one who shot zem?" Medic rubbed his forehead with his free left hand, keeping his arm facing away from the American.

"I-I shot them because they shouldn't have to suffer from your lateness! Since when are you people late, huh?"

Heavy cocked his head. _You people_? The term did not register in his head but apparently it affected Medic, meaning it should him as well. "Doktor is not coward!" The giant threw his weight at Soldier, pinning the man against the wall.

Medic staggered towards the nearest wall to his right and leaned heavily. The sound of four sets of running feet made him notice for the first time that they had an audience. Engineer settled himself beside Medic with the gauze still in his hand from before whilst Scout, Spy and Sniper tried to pry Heavy off Soldier. "Mate, let the bugga go. 'e's not worth killin'." Sniper twisted Heavy's wrist sharply, causing him to release Soldier's neck.

Spy was the first to pull away from the skirmish and wiped his jacket, withdrawing his cigarette case and lighter. "Gentlemen," a cigarette was lit and placed in his mouth as he spoke, "I do believe we 'ave more pressing matters to attend to zan zis little fight." All eyes looked up at Spy, each mixed with different emotions. "Ze Pyro and Demoman are dead, so we kill each ozzer? _Non_, we must see if BLU are dead instead, _Oui_?" A few mumbles of agreement.

Sniper tilted his hat back, shouldered his augmented sniper and began to exit the base. After releasing Heavy, he wanted no more of the group's drama affecting him. He preferred to be alone, and if going to the BLU base meant being alone, then he'd go. It also meant suicide if no one followed him. A catch 22. So he waited at the entrance of their base for the others if they ever came.

The first to follow him was Spy. Even though Sniper hated BLU Spies, that didn't mean he hated his own RED version. The two got along well at an arms distance and shared a half smile at each other. "What do you zink, Sniper?"

"I think there's more ta this than stuff blowin' up in our faces, right?" Spy nodded. "If those duffa's wanna sit around an' kill themselves, that's fine with me. I don't want any part. But if they don't come out in five ticks, I'm off." Another movement of agreement from Spy followed with an offering of a cigarette. It was taken gratefully. They both turned to gaze out of the deserted battlements. It seemed odd to see it not being invaded.

Back in the base, Scout was standing beside his fellow American with a worried look on his face. "Yo, helmet. What're we doin' man? We goin' or what?"

"We'll take the sewers!" Soldier glared at Medic once more before shoving Scout towards the sewers. "They might have a base set up down there, so watch it son." Scout gave the remaining men a lazy salute before racing in front of Soldier.

"Heavy do not like leetle Amerikan men. Only Engineer." The said man smiled at him.

"Wanna give me a hand with Medic, Heavy?" The two spoke as if Medic wasn't even standing there.

"I am still here, Engineer. I can valk by myself."

"Ah know ya can Doc, I just meant…ahh, nevermind." Engineer scratched the back of his head and looked at the taller man sheepishly. "Just ya bleedin' still is all."

"Ja, vell, you didn't stich me up, mein freund." Medic chuckled despite himself and lifted his arms up, laying a hand on Heavy's shoulder for balance. As if on cue, Engineer unfurled the gauze, wiped the skin beneath it with his clean dusting rag he used on his machines and began to wrap Medic's torso once more in the fresh dressing, briefly looking up at the man's arm placement and frowning. The scars had already crusted but some had cracked during the kerfuffle beforehand. Every so often, Engineer's hands, now free of any sort of gloving, brushed against the German's skin, surprised at how cold it was despite the desert heat.

"You guys comin' or wot? I'm not standin' 'ere forever." The unmistakeable Aussie accent warned the remaining men to hurry up. Engineer snapped the clip for the bandages against Medic's, patted it lightly, much to the German's surprise and pulled the man upright away from Heavy.

"Come on, Fellas. Ah think we're makin' the cavalry impatient."

Medic shrugged the offerings of both Engineer and Heavy away and led the way to the front exit, still keeping a firm grip on his Amputator. "Shall ve?"

Spy and Sniper looked at each other, then to the Medic and his entourage and nodded.


	4. Looking, Searching

**A/N: First of all, I want to give a shoutout to all the reviewers so far who have offer their kind words.** **Thank you so much** _Medic,CrazyGirlMe, Inubunnie, RodeoCLOWNgirl, Jacqueline Walker, Jinny the Kisaragi, Hilarious Bread _**(excellent** **name!)**_, Smorgesborg, Crimson_ _Banner**,**_ _Bot09_** and**_ carbonitedoubleohneg_**.  
>I'm so glad so many are putting this story as an alert as well. Thank you so much 3<br>As a second thing, **Smorgesborg** was kind to point out a few things. I spelt Gramophone wrong. Sorry XD. Also, Heavy and Medic speaking Russian. I'm aware its not in the ALPHABET of Russian, it's the phonetic translation so you guys can understand how to word what they're saying. Russian...the alphabet offers no clue how to pronounce so I thought I'd do something different. Probably should've said something last chapter bout that. Heh  
>ON WITH THE STORY!<strong>

The cooling breeze signifying late afternoon flowed gently through the row of five who stood at the start of the bridge.

Heavy, standing extreme left, slotted the last of his bullet belt into the barrel of his mini gun lovingly named Natascha, leaving a sling of the belt hanging on the side. His now empty sash hung limply against his massive torso as he straightened. The Russian hefted his gun upright into a relaxed position and looked down at the rest of his team.

On the other extreme end of the line was Sniper, his rifle jammed against his hip, pointing across towards the dying Sun. The feathers that were tied to the barrel of the gun playfully swung with the gust of wind. Sniper didn't acknowledge the group, instead fixing the back of his hat and shifting his glasses to the top of his nose. His eyes wandered around and took in the eerily silent BLU building.

Beside the Australian was Spy. A cigarette in mouth and his ever-present expression of nonchalant begged the question if he even cared about the current situation. Of course he was required, and paid, to say he wanted the BLUs dead. But now was different. Spy blew a smoke ring and reached into his pocket to stroke his busted "Dead Ringer". At least he felt comforted knowing that his butterfly knife was concealed safely in his hip pocket. His companion to his left fidgeted, drawing his attention downwards. Smoke billowed through his nose in annoyance.

Engineer coughed as the nicotine-laced smog invaded his airways and flew his hand around to clear the area. Feeling eyes on him and lucky his darting eyes were still hidden by heavily tinted goggles, the smooth talking Texan rotated the object his right hand to be hidden from view. He didn't want the sneaky French man to know what he was doing. He never did like the Spy, especially after a short lived conversation on their second day working together. Engineer tapped his shotgun, dubbed the "Frontier Justice"; his own design, as a warning to Spy. His Jag resided in his front bucket, waiting faithfully.

Finally, the bloody frame of Medic nestled uncomfortably between the stout American and the Beast of Russia. No coat tails to billow around made the man seem less dramatic, but his soiled bandages more than made up for that. His hand clutched the Amputator like a lifeline. Despite the dimming light, Medic still had to squint more than his cohorts to see their target. He touched his face, opened his mouth and looked down at Engineer. The goggled man grinned toothily and proffered Medic's now mended glasses from his then-hidden hand. Medic ignored the dry blood on the lenses and placed them back on the brink of his nose. He worded a mute thank-you and took the first step on the bridge.

The rag tag group of mercenaries followed in suit and walked without fear towards the forbidden blue structure. Dusty boots made contact with the cold concrete floor of the base and echoed throughout empty corridors. The RED mercenaries had to admit that the BLUs had better resources in the way buildings go but that was the extent. RED was far superior, no question about it. Engineer took note in the surrounding but his eyes always went back to the tall doctor that walked three paces a head of them. The German kept rubbing his shoulder and was limping heavily but refused to ask for any assistance. Engineer had to admire the man's persistence.

"Oi, guys. Whatcha reckon we split up and meet up'n their top part in a bit." Sniper felt uncomfortable being around the others for so long and needed step away for a while. Even if he'd have to have at least 1 other person, it was much better than a foursome group.

"_Oui_, Zniper 'as a point. We can cover more ground and I doubt any of us are incapable of 'andling a few BLUez."

Engineer, Medic and Heavy stopped and gazed upon the two other men and contemplated their thoughts. "Nice suggestin', pardner. You two go on ahead ta their lil' lookout upstairs and we'll check tha intel." The men nodded and split to the respective zones they were allocated.

Meanwhile, back down in the sewers, Soldier and Scout wadded through the rapidly flooding tunnels of REDs piping, guns out towards the air in front of them. A tube next to where they usually gathered health and supplies from had a gaping hole spewing forth water from an unknown location. Soldier lowered his rocket launcher that he had fashioned during one of his "tours" and rounded the corner. Scout snuck around him and covered his face with his arm when a burst of sparks exploded from the wall panelling.

"What do you make of this, Private?" Soldier still screamed despite knowing that there was one other person to vocalize to.

"I dunno. Demo probably was killin' someone when that…thing happened. Musta made everything destructible or somethin'. Can we go? This place smells worse than one of ya farts, man." The flighty boy had already made his way into the exiting tunnel and was about to round the corner.

Begrudgingly, Soldier followed. He wanted to stay as far away from the Nazi as possible for as _long_ as possible.

It would be another hour before the men would exit the tunnels, mainly due to the fact that Soldier had apparently spotted a clue in the form of a dead leaf floating on the water. It indicated...nothing. It was just a leaf. This was concluded after a 15minute one-sided interrogation by the helmeted man. Scout made his own deductions. Soldier= batshit insane.

Darkness had fallen over Teufort and not one single BLU fighter was around to feel the nights chilling breeze. Sniper and Spy were only able to search the balcony for the gated entrance to one of the respawners seemed to be wielded shut, from the inside! An intense heat was still absorbed in the metal doorway, burning Snipers hand when he made contact. "Bloody hell! That things hotta than a whore in heat, mate!"

Retrieving his scolded hand, Sniper eyed the already blistering skin and blew. Spy peered at it curiously and smirked. "Better get ze doctuer to give it a kizz for you, _Mon ami_."

"Why don't you, ya spook." Sniper held his disgusting hand in the Frenchman's face. Spy smacked it away angrily. "Yeah, just 'magine ya hand as the Doc's blade." Spy nodded in amusement and gestured they turn around.

The search in the Intel offered little in what was going on as well. The room looked untouched and the hallways were swept clean with 3 determined sets of eyes. As they honed in on the steel door of the second bunker, Medic's hawk-like eyes noticed a slight heat haze sizzling from the metal. Without skipping a beat, Medic brought the flat part of his blade crashing down on Heavy's giant hand that was reaching out. "Nein!"

Heavy looked indignantly over at his German companion and followed his scrutinizing eyes that had never even left the door. Engineer looked too and saw the vapour rising. From behind his goggles, Engineer traced the outline of the door and crouched when he noticed the still bubbling steel wielding the door shut to the concrete. "Seems like somethin' don't want us takin' a gander inside, fellas."

The foreigners bent down and took in the scene. "Do you sink something exploded?"

"If that's tha case, why not us, too? Didn't take too kind to tha BLUs that's fo' sure."

Medic frowned at the shorter man. It was an excellent point and a question that couldn't be answered whilst looking at a hot door. The trio stood and made their way back up to the base. It was strange not seeing the other team coming after them whilst occupying their space.

When they reach the top of the straight staircase, Medic shivered slightly from the cool breeze, goosebumps prickling up from his exposed frame. As they walked over to the meeting area, an unmistakable American accent could be heard shouting obscenities and orders. "-could've been squids down there, you idiot Australian!"

Engineer smiled when he saw the bushman roll his eye and walk away from Soldier without saying a word. Surprisingly though, was the fact that he was coming towards them and not out to the balcony. "Hey Doc, I burnt me hand on tha bloomin' door ova there. Ya think ya could do anythin' 'bout it?"

Following Medic's gaze as Sniper ignorantly waited for his response, Engineer saw that he was sharing a mutual glare; at least he thought it was mutual considering the massive helmet, with Soldier. Peeling his eyes away, Medic was back in his role as healer and took the Australian's hand, pulled out a tiny bottle of antiseptic ointment and small roll of gauze from without even looking at the wound from his hip bag. He ensued to wrap the injury without word. The German may be many things, but he was an amazing doctor that overshadowed all the names he was given.

"We sleepin' here tonight?" Scout asked impatiently but with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Usually after a day of getting blown up, torched, backstabbed, head-shotted and shot, the soldiers would go to their quarters at 8 and not wake until 4. And now that Scout had mentioned sleep, the rest of the mercenaries were all reminded of how tired and sore they were. "Considering zeir are no BLUez, I don't sink zere is any problem with that." No one even bothered arguing with the Spy and each took to going to different sections of the base.

Sniper took his place on the outside sniper perch; Spy had followed but took refuge on the opposite side near the radiating door. Spy did not care for being cold. Soldier made his presence known in the room that overlooked the entrance and somehow managed to shout a yawn, however that worked. Scout took to the spiral stairwell entry whilst Engineer made his way to the other stairs.

As he looked back to make sure no one had decided to follow him, Engineer saw Heavy storm out of the base, clomping down the steps loudly and underneath the foyer. In his wake was an equally furious German. Said man marched along the ledge and sat down near the other flight, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge. The Texan stood silent in the doorway of his makeshift room and watched as Medic angrily tore away his bindings and slam them against the ground beside him.

Waiting a couple of minutes until the doctor looked somewhat calmer, Engineer placed a foot out onto the ledge and made his way his friend.

**Next chapter will finally have Medic and Engineer living up to the pairing ;) R&R if you'd like :)**


	5. Water

**A/N:** **Once again some marvelous reviews have made my heart a-flutter :) Thank you very much to** _BradenIsMyMonkey, HilariousBread _**(gets me every time XD)**_ and_ _InuBunnie_.__**This chapter is for you all who want some Medic/Engineer ;). Not much in the way of plot progression but...yeah. ONWARDS TO READING!**

"Mind if I sit?"

Medic didn't acknowledge the American's presence and continued boring a hole in the wall straight ahead with his eyes. It didn't matter if he had company or not. The most important figure in his fighting life had chosen words that, if he were any other man, would have no head or skeleton anymore. Medic bit the inside of his cheek to quell his disgust and anger. A taste of iron filled his mouth. "Vat do you vant, Engineer?"

Engineer had never heard Medic direct so much hatred in a single sentence towards him. It took the short man aback, standing for a few quiet minutes before shaking off the uneasy feeling that had suddenly washed over him. From his view point, Engineer allowed his eyes to soak in the moonlit silhouette of Medic and the unreflecting streaks of drying blood that tattooed his body. "Ah'll be back, pardner." The German didn't acknowledge.

As fast as his legs could take him whilst feeling like lead weights, Engineer rushed down towards the sewers, bypassing a snoring Heavy who was clutching Natascha tightly. His footsteps went from dull thuds to dull clicks as he entered the sewers. Despite the name, the water was in fact fairly clean. Not to the extent you would drink it, but clean enough to wash in. Jarate made the water undrinkable, that is to say.

Without stopping, Engineer overturned his helmet, scooping some of the water into it and rushed back to Medic. Not a drop was spilt in his haste. The view of Medic in the same position made Engineer smile. He hadn't moved, meaning he wanted company. At least that's what he thought and hoped. "Told ya ah'd be back." Engineer winked uselessly through his goggles at Medic. Even without the lenses he doubted the doctor would've even noticed.

Not fazed by the Medic's ignorance, Engineer sat on his right side and produced another clean rag. "Doc?"

Medic's eyes flickered to the man beside him, repositioning them back to the wall before slowly doing a double take. His head turned with the same speed and the scowl the Engineer thought may have been permanently etched there softened slightly into a frown. "_Ja_?" The German croaked. It sounded as if he hadn't had a glass of water in years.

Whipping out a vial of cleansing crystals he kept on in his belt just in case they had to pull an all-nighter on the battlefield and he needed to drink the sewer water, the engineer split the contents into the makeshift bowl and aggravated the water. "Here, drink summa this, Doc." Medic took the helmet in both hands after a look of amusement flashed across his features. His lips connected with the rim and mouthfuls of liquid gold soared down his throat. Droplets splashed his lips and dripped down his chin and neck. Engineer couldn't help but lick his own lips from the inside. He didn't want Medic seeing what he was thinking.

The helmet was released from the clutches of the doctor's mouth and returned half empty to its owner. Engineer unconsciously rubbed his thumb over the spot where lips had been. "If ya don' mind, Doc, ah got tha water to clean ya." Medic narrowed his eyes sceptically. Goosebumps crawled all over Engineer's skin like a rash from the gaze. He held a hand up defensively. "Not ta say ya smell or anythin'. Just ya'll bloody. Didn' think it'd be healthy walkin' round like that, is all."

A dejected sighed escaped from Medic and his posture straightened to permit Engineer. What fat the doctor had on him was overwhelmed by the fact his ribs stuck out more than Engineer's own and as well as the rippling muscles that came from being a veteran on the field. And now as Engineer sat there gazing at the other man's body, Medic had finally given him his full attention. He raised a curious brow at his motionless company. "Ist somesing wrong, Herr Engineer?" Medic shifted uncomfortably, turning his back more to him.

Suddenly, as if on cue, a glint of something obviously metallic reflected the moon's beam from Medic's left shoulder, catching Engineer's eye. "Hold it, Doc!" He dipped his rag in the now freezing water and dribbled it on the shiny area, clearing most of the blood and sparking a shiver from the doctor. A fragment of shrapnel was lodged quite deeply in the skin. Not even waiting for permission, the engineer quickly and efficiently yanked the offending object out, throwing it away; a trail of blood following it through the air whilst Engineer quickly smacked a hand on both Medic's now haemorrhaging wound and his mouth to stop him from waking the others.

No vibration was felt against Engineer's hand, not even a warm, wet breeze to indicate Medic had even opened him mouth. Tentatively, the hand released its grip, going up to lift goggles off its owners face. The Texan leaned over anxiously, a look of frightened worry drowning all other features. "Continue, _danke_." Medic's own voice sounded robotic, as if not registering it was owned by an organic and feeling creature. Medic felt distance and his body was numb from the now subzero night air.

All Engineer could do was nod and begin his cleansing. He positioned a warm hand sheepishly on the exposed waistline of his friend, indulging himself by now confidently spreading his fingers and feeling the skin properly. It was as if the man was fashioned out of a satisfying blend of worn leather and cashmere. Unconsciously he moved the hand further around and down the other man's hips all the while hoping that the water on his back would be more of a distraction to hide what he was doing below.

Every streak of blood was wiped effortlessly away, leaving behind red craters that had begun to bruise and crust over. Faded silver lines of old gashes engraved themselves as a permanent reminder of a past life. The injuries gained from "working" in the battlefields of Teufort and other places the Manns owned were erased once they respawned after death.

Medic had his attention abruptly changed from focusing on the intense cold water wiping his back clean to a sneaky hand that had gone unnoticed around his stomach. He was now all too aware of the intense heat that the palm gave out and closed his eyes with a moan. The touch of another human felt divine. It was a good distraction from all that was happening around them. Medic dragged his left hand over to greet the intruder and closed it around the other man's wrist.

The wiping had come to a standstill on Medic's upper left shoulder. The bleeding had stopped. The golden hand clutched the doctor's pale white stomach tightly, fingers spread wide to feel as much of the man as possible. A pressure was placed on the spot to force Medic backwards. It succeeded with surprisingly little effort and Engineer removed his other hand from the back. A wet slop of a now discarded rag filled the silent night whilst Engineer slid his moistened hand down Medic's hard bicep to clutch his forearm. The two were close enough that Medic wasn't even at an extreme angle to rest his weight upon Engineer.

Then, like fire, Medic retracted his arm from Engineer's grasp and sat up; not as quickly though. The confused American frowned at this sudden change of events, bringing his up to cross along his chest. "_um Verzeihung bitten._" (_I am sorry_.) The sombre German whispered. He crooked his head on his shoulder and looked at Engineer's hurt face with wet eyes.

Slapping his left hand backwards on the concrete to gain balance in order to stand, Medic swung his corresponding leg up to his chest and rotated around to push himself up. Quick as a rattlesnake, Engineer sniped his hand out to grasp Medic's arm to halt his process. Without as much difficulty, Engineer jumped to his feet and helped the other man up.

His kindness had an ulterior motive though. Too powerful for Medic's weak and blood drained form, the Texan rotated the captured arm with restrained force to reveal a frightening find. There, inked on skin that had not seen the Sun in decades, was an uninverted red triangle followed by an unnerving black serial code reading _12640_. Mouth open and eyes looking upwards with a disturbed shimmer at a now equally daunting German, Engineer gulped.

**Trust me, I have a reason for everything! I will explain everything next chapter! I just wanted a cliffhanger of sorts.  
><strong>**But I hope I quenched a little of your thirst for M/E lovin', if only for a bit. There will be more, don't you worry ;)**


	6. Flashback

**A/N: As always, thank you very much for the reviews. Genuinely. I love hearing what you think.**

**Alright, this chapter...well, it's a bit different. It's in answer of the tattoo. Also, it's my own opinion of Medic's past. I've been wanting to do this for quite some time. It's my view. I did fudge a few facts about WWII around, out of no disrespect or anything! Easter egg in this as well, see if you can guess what I'm hinting at.  
>Lastly, a big shout out to<strong> _Ellemgram_**! She's writing an amazing story called **_The Last Hurrah_.** Check it out. I am doing a couple of pictures for the story that will slowly be uploaded to the internet. Anyway, check the story out. It's amazingly writing. Shameless but unendorsed plug by me :)**

**Warning: Torture scene. Not violently graphic but it's pretty uncomfortable if you can imagine the scene.**

_ Deep in the heart of __Ravensbrück__ Concentration Camp was a man in his mid-30s sitting beside the corpse of a man with several extra limbs grafted to his frame. The experiment was a French man not even 40 years old whom had gurgled a howl of agony whilst the Nazi doctor was maliciously grafting arm after arm to his body, during which he distractedly tinkered with a machine emitting a red beam to his chest. The abomination had died hours after it should have taken a normal human to with the amount of blood it lost, but still it was not enough to satisfy the doctors quest to finish his machine._

_ "Herr Doktor, __Was__so lange dauert__, damit Sie Ihre__Maschine__zu beenden?" (_Doctor, what is taking so long for you to finish your machine?_) A truly fearsome man, going by the notorious name of Himmler, loomed over the young scientist with a scowl. His eyes scanned the room, taking in every minute detail, including a telegraph, books of anatomy and the gadget in question. "Der Führer__verlangt__, dass das Gerät__von der__Woche__fertig sein__Ende__, du garstiger__Sache_." (The Führer demands that the device be finished by the weeks end, you disgusting thing._)_

_ The man known to his comrades as Steindorff, for his first name was indeed cursed as taboo to hear, looked up at the commanding officer with a dark glare. "Meine Maschine__wird nicht__bis dahin__bereit__, Sir." (_My machine won't be ready by then, sir._)_

_ "__Dann__schneller gehen__!" (_Then go faster!_) __With a click of his boots pushing together, the Commander turned to leave the room. "__Und__Herr__Doktor,__wenn Sie__nicht tun, wird__es Konsequenzen geben." (_And doctor, if you don't, there will be consequences._) A deafening clang of the only door slamming shut was all _Steindorff _needed to know that he was officially alone._

_ Without skipping a beat, the doctor rushed over to his desk, emptying its contents across the floor and selecting a few scrolls to bundle up and seal with wax. The next step was to quickly complete the final touches of his gadget. All it needed was the blood of a dead victim, which he had in his possession, and a magnifying lens to concentrate the beam. After noticing a gathering of rust forming around his experiments, the doctor realized the beam's focus was too wide. No trouble fixing at all._

_ The modifications now complete; the machine being strapped to his back like a pack, and his papers crushed safely in his lab's inner pockets, _Steindorff _dislodge his medicinal bone saw from another previous patient whom had some of his bones removed, and calmly reached for the handle. Inwardly he prayed that only a few guards blocked him from his exit. He would like to have a clear exit, but the thrill of killing these particular men was too enjoyable to pass up._

_ He smiled at his luck at the door being unlocked and swung it open; only to be greeted several SS troopers and Himmler himself aiming an array of pistols and rifles at his face. "Herr__Doktor__! Vielen dank Ihnen__für Ihre Dienste.__Wir haben etwas__Besonderes für Sie__am meisten__als Belohnung." (_Doctor! Thank you for your services. We have something most special for you as a reward._)_

_ A hard knock to the head trapped _Steindorff _in a blurred world where he was roughly handcuffed and jostled down a long corridor to a blindingly bright room which revealed no details of what it contained. Only white filled his vision and pain invaded his head. A weight lifted from his back as leather straps supporting the machine were cut. His left arm became free of its bindings for a second before being binded to the cold frame of an arm rest. Only this arm rest was a lot wider than the average._

_ "Nein!" The doctor shook himself back to consciousness and wrenched his arm uselessly against the cuff. His serial number marking him of his heritage was highlighted under the penetrating light of the overhead lamp. "Was machst du da__?__Was ist da los__?" (_What are you doing? What is going on?_) His anguish cries fell on deaf ears as a Nazi pulled out a tattooing gun lined with red ink and painfully inscribed a red triangle to his pale white skin._

_ "Verräter!" (_Traitor!)_ "__Ein__Verräter an__Ihre Mitarbeiter und__Verräter an der__Nazi__.__Ihre__Strafe__wird nicht__schnell zu Ende__, Herr__Doktor." (_A traitor to your people and a traitor to the Nazi. Your punishment will not end quickly, Doctor._) As efficiently as he was placed in the chair, _Steindorff _was just as quickly pulled away from it and into another in a different room. This chair however was only a stool but had been modified to accommodate arms along with harnesses for both wrists and ankles. "Ihre__Frau und Kind__wurden in der__Kammer__, Herr__Doktor__gesetzt worden.__Sie__wird jedochnicht__das__Vergnügen, mit ihnen__in absehbarer Zeit__sein__." (_Your wife and child have been put in the Chamber, Doctor. You, however, will not get the pleasure to be with them any time soon._)_

_ The high ranking torturer, along with Himmler, slid the large metal door closed. _"Are you ready?" _Steindorff __looked up, acknowledging he understood the foreign words. "_I know you can underztand me, Doktor. And let me juzt tell you zat zis vill be excruciating!" _The sudden switch had caught _Steindorff_ off guard and revealed that he had connections with the English troopers. Why else would he know their language? He was just an abducted German scientist from Stuttgart._

_ "_Herr Himmler, please do not do zis. I vill give ze _Führer_ my machine. Just-"

"Just what? _Sie haben nichts__!__ (_You have nothing!) Your family ist dead, Herr Doktor." _A powerful fist connected with the man's face, smashing his glasses into dozens of pieces. Another blow to the stomach forced the air from his lungs. The doctor doubled over. Just what the guard wanted. _Steindorff's _own saw was used upon him as the blade sliced through the fabric and skin of his back. He bit back a cry of pain. He didn't want to show Himmler any sign of surrender._

_ Dissatisfied by the lack of reaction, the Nazi slashed the knife multiple times in every direction on _Steindorff's _back but still received no complaints. A grunt of displeasure was all that was made. "__Sie werden__brechen__, Herr__Doktor__!" (_You will break, Doctor!_)_

_ The Nazi made a casual stroll to the only cabinet in the room and chuckled. He spoke no words during the entire procedure, but his actions spoke louder. A jar of salt, a vial of yellow liquid and a Cat-o-nine-tails were all the torturer needed to complete his job. It didn't seem like much, but as the doctor soon found out, the words Himmler spoke were of truth._

_ Rubbing copious amounts of salt roughly on open wounds elicited the first screams of the session. The Nazi couldn't help but smile. Himmler just stood in the corner with a placid face and watched sweat and blood drip down off the doctor's face and body. More of the ocean's minerals were slowly inserted by the handfuls into each individual abrasion._

_ "NEIN! STOP!"_

_ Himmler raised two fingers to halt the other man. He walked up to and bent down on his haunches to gaze at _Steindorff's _drenched and exhausted face. They hadn't been in the room for more than an hour and already the man was asking to stop. Pathetic! Some of the women had lasted longer. "__Alles, was Sie__tun müssen, ist__uns alles sagen__, Herr__Doktor.__" (_All you have to do is tell us everything, Doctor.)

_A maniacal smiled spread along the doctor's face. Himmler blinked. Their faces met finally as _Steindorff's _raised his head. "Nein. _I just vanted to tell you that you have lost._" He cackled loudly in the officers faces, exchanging it for a yelp as the CONT lashed his back._

_ Each tail had been saturated in the acidic formula in the last vial and each drop was caught by the frame of the victim, protecting Himmler from its burn. Said man moved quickly away to the frame of the locked door and continued his spectating._

_ Hours upon hours had passed by, yet the medicine man still refused to divulge information. He did however continue to laugh hysterically and mutter useless facts about his experiments. He had wanted to name his last victim Krabbe. He cried in agony and despair a few times as well, much to Himmler's delight. The pain of knowing his wife was dead offered no comfort for the doctor._

_ The last drop of acid splashed against the disfigured skin that represented _Steindorff's _back. It had been 6 hours since they first entered the room. No form of response followed, perhaps because the nerve endings were numbed or altogether destroyed. "Herr-"_

_ A sudden bombardment of noise exploded behind the door. German cries were followed by dull thuds and metallic clatters as gun fire from unidentified weapons pounded through the corridors. Shouts of a third dialect responded to each other and doors from every direction began to explode. Including _Steindorff's_ own._

_ The blast was enough to instantly kill Himmler whilst extremely lucky shards sliced through the neck of the other Nazi. _Steindorff _ignored the happenings around him and slumped forward with a blissful smile plastered on his face. He was saved._

After revealing the tattoo to them both, Medic had quickly realized that there was no point pretending in dismissing the whole thing. Engineer had slid his arm around his waist as the man began to sway. It seemed that everything up to that point was being suppressed and this action was like a floodgate being released. The American carefully ushered them both to the straight staircase hideout and slowly eased Medic down so his frame leaned heavily against his own. Engineer just wished he could give him a coat to cover him with. His arm would have to do; not that he was complaining.

And just like that, as soon as Engineer's furnace-like arm tightly closed around his frame, Medic bared his past. Details were skimmed over, either due to privacy or a hazy memory. Either way, Engineer didn't care. The horrors that were told to him were enough. His stomach churned with every word and his hand stroked the other mans.

"Und zat ist how I met Heavy. He vas ze vun who saved me." Engineer had always assumed they had met the same way the all had- on a train station platform in the balmy Texan plains. "Ze Soviets had stormed ze camp after I telegraphed zem ven Himmler vould be around. I vas zeir spy, but I vas neezer Nazi or Soviet. I am just a doktor." Despite everything that had been told, Medic had converted back to his cold tone of voice.

Engineer bit his lip, waiting for his company to continue. "Ze Soviets released me ven zey knew who I vas. Heavy und I bonded vhilst I rested in Stutthof." Medic shifted to look Engineer in the eyes. He looked almost back to normal with the same serious face he used on the battlefield. "Heavy und I did sings that the Soviets disapproved of and he vas formally discharged. I owed him my life." Engineer didn't understand where Medic was going with this. All he did was frown. Medic zoned his eyes in, as if staring down Engineer. "I repaid zat debt yearz ago ven ve vere contacted by Herr Redmond. Zhis vas his idea! I just vanted to continue with what Himmler made me start But ven Herr Redmond told me that if I gave him my blueprintz, I vould have unlimited access to anything medical I could possibly vant." Dying a hundred times hadn't only stopped Medic from owing Heavy anything, it allowed to him collect the last corpse of every round to examine. The only sacrifice was giving Mann Co. rights to his Uber technology.

A crazed eye twitch unnerved Engineer a little. But he now had some understanding of why Medic had such unusual methods and qualities that he brushed it off. "Same here, pardner. I just wanted'ta build ma rockets but Redmond gave me a hellova deal." He shifted under Medic's weight.

Medic smirked and answered an unspoken question he knew was playing on the lips of his comrade. "Heavy und I stopped our foolery in '55. It vas either zat or part vays altogether." That part of history was to be remained unsaid. Engineer didn't press. "However…"

With strength that surprised Engineer, Medic brought his left hand around to pull Engineer's head down to his own, crushing their lips together.

**So you can probably guess a bit about what's going on in the next chapter. Whether it's going to be smut or not is purely up to you. Bare in mind this will be my first yaoi.**


	7. Heat

**A/N: Been busy gettin' bruises at work and painting my dresser. I hit a roadblock with this chapter as well, deciding which direction to take. My lovely reviewers spurred me on though. Hope this does not disappoint ;)**

The night had aged only a few hours. In that time the cries of local vultures had died, replaced by a kettle whine twisting with the song of the wind whistling through any crack that would allow; certain cracks allowed the light breeze to flow along the frames of two men who were both genius and deadly killers. That being said, the cold air was not a welcome feeling. Their frames moved closer to each other

It was kind of hard to accept the feeling of another man's lips on his. He was so use to kissing his Mary every night before sleeping and every morning when they woke up that the rough texture and force, albeit weakened from the kisser's current state of health, took him by much surprise. That's not saying he didn't enjoy the feeling though. It was…different. Strong. Intoxicating. A feeling he wanted to encompass himself in for as long as possible.

As long as possible turned out to be a decent period of time. With his strength powering the muscles in his arms, Engineer easily maneuvered the taller but lighter German onto his waist, careful of the man's injuries. Ripples of pleasure rolled through Medic's posture. The hot touch of Engineer's hands and his current placement now encouraged his lips to open and unleash the closed-off tongue that so longed to explore another's mouth.

With snake-like grace, the tongue slid gently against the American's coarse lips and slipped effortlessly into the cavernous gap that was Engineer's mouth. An identical warmth to the exterior and a bitter taste mixed with lead (presumably from holding a nail for his sentry) and bread overloaded Medic's taste sensory, forcing his tongue to lash out and travel further.

He was not alone in his exploration. Dominant, rough workers hands tenderly explored the expanse of Medic's back, memorizing every bump and groove, savouring the clear patches that offered nothing but the feeling of powerful back muscles. His own tongue responded with eagerness to the happenings going on. It indeed had been some time since he had an intimate moment with another person, but that was hardly an excuse. Engineer was craving Medic more than ever before. He never wanted to accept his feelings for the man up until the last couple of days. Many post-respawn operations made him respect the doctor but nothing to this extent.

Soundlessly the men parted their heads. Medic breathed heavily against Engineer, catching his breath and slumping forward to rest all of his weight on to his hips, knees and head. Engineer's forehead made the perfect resting spot but the thick wielding goggles still shielding his eyes made the area uncomfortable. With a frown that mimicked his hardened battle glare, Medic leaned back.

Confusion was followed with an extremely uncomfortable pause. Engineer shifted and instantly regretted everything he had thought about in the last few hours. Instead of everything that passed through his consciousness of what was going to follow, having his goggles lifted off his head was low on the list.

Their colour not dulled by the silvery rays of the moon, the electric blue irises darted back and forth, assessing the man in front of him who was currently leaning to place the goggles on the ground next to the discarded the shotgun and bone saw. The steel, almost white, eyes of the German locked onto his friend. The narrowed glare softened under the gaze of the almost puppy dog eyes before him. Medic leaned in for another kiss, revelling in the heated hands that replaced themselves against his back and waist. Neither men closed their eyes, looking at each other with hunger. Engineer's kind blue eyes travelled down to their mouths, finally closing with content after seeing the spectacle of them connected. Medic however continued to stare at his partner. Not in a scientific point of view though. A screen of thankfulness glazed over his eyes and cheeks rose to give an almost smiling effect. He was content.

Medic found use of his hands after they lay limply slumped by his sides for the longest of times. Unfastening of overall clips and shirt buttons gave him an almost equal share of skin to explore. Even the man's chest and tight paunch were of matching tone to his golden arms and neck. No tan lines, or tone change, were visible in the dark of the night. Engineer took pride in his smooth unblemished skin, keeping it moisturized as much as possible but still managed to maintain a manly roughness about it.

Much like Medic's own body, previous scarring still etched his skin, but nothing as extreme. A long raised scratch was traced by dextrous fingers from the base of his shoulder all along to the front near his pectoral. Medic knew every aspect of the Texan's body after many visits for check-ups and their mandatory physical on their first day. He'd never bothered to ask about the sizeable bump though. Medic brought his hands around to clutch brawny biceps, deepening their kissing and shifting his waist ever so slightly and slowly.

The noise of the wind picked up alarmingly, rising to double the decibels. Neither man paid much attention, keen on current events between them. An absurdly loud growl emitting from the foyer of BLU base did disconnect them though. "Pipe down, you steel trap!"

Like a groan coming from Godzilla itself, the metal door for the respawn base warped inwardly at a disturbing angle, grinding against its frame but still wielded to the ground. A boom sounded from a distance but still close enough to feel the vibrational effect of the soundwave. The sound was enough to infuriate Soldier to come out from his section and check out what was going on. Accompanying the scraping from the main door was a soft orange glow lighting the room which infected the entire surface of the door. The edges however gave off a fiercer yellow flare. "Men!"

Not even a second after the order spilled from under the soldier's helmet came Sniper and Spy from the entrance to the balcony; panic stricken faces (well, on Sniper's face at least) rushing towards Soldier at full speed. "Move, ya wanka!" Sniper barged his entire weight to tackle Soldier to the ground. The American may have been twice the weight of the Australian, but with no balance ready to take on such a force, Sniper easily knocked him down. Just in time.

An atomic force swallowed the steel door inwardly before releasing it from its holster and the ground and blowing it with gunshot power out towards the 3 mercenaries. Missing the expensive loafers on Spy by only millimetres, the trio crashed into the outlook room's side wall just as the door wedge itself tightly into the arch. Sizzles of dying heat fizzed from the sheet of crumpled metal.

"Wot the bloody hell is goin' on?"

Soldier brutally shoved his saviour off his back with an elbow and stood at attention. He watched the foreigners gain their footing, staggering into each other for support and glared under his helmet. "Well, Roo-barbra, we're not gonna know just standin' here. Get your skinny asses down that hole and get the others!" Sniper twisted his middle finger in his ear to rid himself of the irritating ring that always followed whenever Soldier spoke.

"I think they might be up there already, mate."

Spy spent no time wasted around the pair and in slipped down the hole and walked past a rare sight. An abandoned Natascha. Not far off his tracks came the other two; both stopping to look at the deserted minigun before continue upwards to where they once were. Only Spy blocked the doorway they needed to get through.

Said Frenchman had arrived just in time to see Medic and Engineer leaving the same alcove. Engineer was busying himself with his shirt which was curiously being put back on whilst Medic uncomfortably wielded both a shotgun and his Amputator. Why would he have taken off his shirt the first placed? Spy humorously mused. He went unnoticed as the pair rushed along the gangway to the foyer. "Come on Spook. Move it." Spy scowled and sidestepped to let the others through first, resisting the urge to flick his knife into the Australian's back.

With his rocket launcher abandoned in the now sealed room, Soldier managed to beat the two thinner men up the stairs to stand aghast next to Engineer. Sniper shoved him out of the way to see what was going on, allowing room for Spy.

"What the f-", Scout had been first to the scene from the stairwell room and was currently smacking his ears to get sound back. He hadn't even noticed what lay before him. But a quick smack to the back of the head from Medic averted his attention.

Scout, Medic, Engineer, Soldier, Spy, Sniper. Each man stood at odd angles facing inwards to a crisped and soot layered Respawn. The lockers almost ceased to exist save for the skeleton of its borders. Exposed wires sparked whatever electricity they had left in them across the room whilst smouldering glass crackled against the cold night air. Six sets of eyes took in three separate details though.

**Not quite smut, but I'm taking baby steps with my first Yaoi. Plot is thickening too. Not quite a cliffhanger though.**


	8. Combustible

**A/N: Righty, a new chapter! Been kind of all over the place lately but prevailed to bring you an update :). Also, don't forget to review! Love to hear anything you have to say + it = a massive confidence booster. I really love receiving them and thank you so much to everyone who has been following this story and reviewing it. Love you all! 3**

A strange, almost blissful silence fell upon the men who had all but become too use to the sound of violence. Gun fire, cannon blasts, flames that crack alongside tortured screams and electronic hisses. The scene the six mercenaries gazed at played out in front of them like a silent movie- their optical viewing tuning out all noise.

Wisps of smoke licked at the careful stepping boots moving in closer to get a better look. The advantage of each man's occupation soaked in details the others could not. The men of science, Medic and Engineer, eyed the overloaded respawn at the back of the room. Torn to shreds with metal splinters piercing almost every surface. Smashed glass littered the floor whilst naked wires hung loose in their holsters.

The men, who borne warfare, hailing from opposite ends of the Earth, feasted their eyes on the blood that splattered the walls like some kind of sick artwork. Evidence of the other team indeed.

The two remaining men, one French, the other from Boston, both masters of stealth and speed, mutually narrowed in on a suspicious pair of boots that seemed to be still intact and attached to its owner. An odd object sat in the palm of the owner's hand. From Scout's point of view, he couldn't see the entire person, however Spy could clearly see the form of the BLUs Demoman slumped against the wall. The thick chest piece of the black man disguised whether his chest was moving or not, although a sizeable patch had been removed, as if on purpose. "Medic."

Spy calmly pointed his finger, almost as if it was too much of an effort, at the figure in the littered room and nodded once. Tearing his observation away from the mess that was the respawn plate Medic's eyes widened in surprise at the only organic life in the room. How had he missed him? Pushing past the huddled company, Medic rushed to the aid of the man, almost tripping over a squishy lump. A heart? "Demoman?"

As if remembering the horrifying episode of the mass Demoman army that had chased them out the base not even a day ago, Medic's features scrunched up suddenly in anger and kicked the heart at the Scot. The thud seemed to awaken the man. He yelped and gurgled.

With a look of disdain, Medic bent down and eyed the man's chest. A gaping cavity that could not be seen from his own teammate's point of position spewed blood out. Tattered veins still pulsed blood out that was intended from the now discarded heart. The German pursed his lips and spied the device in the man's hand. It was the Respawn and Uber valve that had been installed on them all by their respected Medic's. It gave off little waves of blue Uber into the Scot's slitted wrist, keeping him alive.

His skin was charred a pitch black with flecks of red blood and white third degree burns. "M-medic…" A heaving cough full of blood sprayed over Medic's face. He didn't flinch though. Instead, he wordlessly threw Engineer's shotgun at said owner, brandished his Amputator and cleanly swiped through Demoman's throat like it was butter. The head tumbled forward and rolled along the ground towards the Respawn. Back muscles flexed and straightened as Medic stood. He waited a beat, listening to the oddly calming drips of the enemy's blood sliding off his weapon onto the tiled floor before silently pushing past his teammates and down the stairs to the courtyard.

The remaining five remained expressionless, only their eyes betraying their true feelings for the doctor, and just stared at the corpse. The tiny glow of the Uber flickered and died, shutting off with a whine.

Much like the friendship that had sprouted between the BLUs Soldier and their Demoman, Soldier held much admiration towards Demoman of BLU. Back before the discovery of the other's friendship when they had been allowed outside of the designated war spots, Soldier had shared many drinks with the Scot and told just as many jokes. Now he had been mercilessly slain by the one teammate he held almost no respect for with any explanation as to why. Angrily, Soldier shoved Spy into Sniper and charged down after the German. "KRAUT!"

Quick as a flash, Engineer propelled himself at his fellow American, throwing all his weight at the man. He caught him by the shoulder and waist and dug his feet into the wood platform. "No, Solly! Leave him."

Hardly fazed by the added weight, Soldier butted his shotgun through his arm and effectively smacking Engineer clean in the forehead. He stumbled back into the waiting arms of Sniper, blacking out for a moment. Soldier however marched quickly towards his prey. Leaping the last few steps, there was just enough power in his jump to close the distance between himself and the German.

Medic crumpled under the immense muscular weight of Soldier. His back cracked open to release the clotted up blood stored beneath the surface whilst his exposed chest rubbed against the concrete ground. Just as strong as his American foe, Medic unleashed whatever energy he had left to buck the larger man off and attempt a swipe with his saw. Like an improvised sword fight, Soldier blocked the blade with his shotgun, grabbed the blunt end and wrenched it out of Medic's hands.

With the upper hand, Soldier growled and cocked his gun again at the doctor like many hours beforehand, this time with the full intent to kill. "Speak, you miserable sonova bitch." An emphasis of the situation was the click of Soldier readying a shell into the chamber. Medic clenched his jaw in defiance. A freezing nightly breeze excited his wet skin, sending a shiver through his entire frame. The shiver was mistaken for fear in Soldier's eyes. He laughed. "Well maggot?"

"He vas already dead." Unsatisfied with the answer, Soldier kicked the back of Medic's knees with just enough vigour to only force him to his knees. Medic took the hint and explained further with venom. "Ve designed ze technology to correspond with the Respawn. If ze Respawn vas ever corrupted beyond repair, ze valves would shut down, effectively stopping our hearts."

"But that would mean killin' us! You put death-traps in us?" Pressure was added to deepen the gun's barrel into Medic's temple.

"NEIN! Frau Helen put zhat detail in. Ve vere never told vy zough."

"What do you mean, 'we'?"

"Ze BLU Medic vas present. Orderz not to speak to each ozzer vere in place. Ozzervise we would be shot and replaced."

From behind the two frozen men, Spy, Sniper, Scout and Engineer, whom was nursing his head with a disgruntled look on his face, descended the staircase and surrounded the duo. Sniper could hear the whole conversation from the balcony with his keen ears and placed himself in the discussion. "But, mate, wouldn't that mean the tech is Mann tech?"

"Ja, for ze most part. So?"

Sniper raised a brow and looked around at everyone who was waiting for his theory. Not even Engineer had a clue at what he was getting at. "Well, everythin' that's been Mann Co stuff has blown up. Even ya pack was built by 'em. Why not our hearts too then, aye? I mean, they didn't blow up or anythin', but it was their stuff."

Medic blinked and exchanged his blank expression to one of horror, clutching his chest and batting Soldier's shotgun away from his face with his other. Though the Uber was his invention, it being engineered by the company meant it didn't exist anymore on Teufort after the incident. He couldn't remove their hearts to reverse what he had done to everyone either. What he couldn't understand was why Demoman still had some Uber. Or that _they_ were still alive. "You hypothesis on Demoman, Herr Sniper?" Curiosity became a form of entertainment now for Medic.

Sniper frowned and chewed over his thoughts for a minute. This kind of stuff usually was handled by Engineer, but the man looked dazed at the moment. "Maybe coz he cut it out, the thing thought he was dead and didn't shutoff. Why would it kill a dead heart when it's job is to do exactly that? Musta thought he was taken care of. The things are supposta keep us alive, right? So a non-beatin' ticka would seem normal to it. Disconnected from tha system whilst everythin' happened." Who knew Sniper was so observant. Well, he had to be aware of everything if he wanted to be kept alive during a battle, but to outsmart Engineer on something mechanical was something different.

All the Texan could do was whistle in marvel at the Australian's logic and blink deeply. The explanation seemed to help him place some more puzzle pieces into his brain to solve what was going on. He thought it best to keep his thoughts to himself though. He wanted collect his thoughts before offering his side. "But the tech was built by Mann Co."

Sniper looked down at the stout man by his side, noticing a sizeable lump forming on his head. "Yeah, mate, we already said that. Whatsya point?"

"But the…" Engineer collapse forward and passed out.

Ignoring his own pain, Medic was right at the Texan's side to roll him to his side. He studied the bump and frowned deeply. "Soldier, you did zhis. How much force did you use?" Such anger was usually kept to the battlefield, but Medic didn't care.

Soldier had always liked Engineer and hated seeing the man hurt. His fellow patriot was always there on the field with a toothy grin and a dispenser handy. He felt guilty, but not sorrow, that he had given the man an injury. "A-a lot." Medic scowled.

"Leave. Everyone!" Spy and Scout gave the group unreadable looks before heading back to their respective alcoves whilst Sniper bent down to off Medic help to move Engineer.

"Listen mate," Sniper lowered his voice, "don't worry 'bout Solly. Just rest yaself, o'right?" Medic nodded begrudgingly even if it appeared he wasn't listening. Sniper smirked and led the way to under the staircase, not risking much of a travel, settling Engineer on the haystack. He left with a tip of his hat and brushed past Soldier without another glance.

The said man marched after the Australian to his area. It took many sheep to send the mercenary to sleep.

Medic repeated the position Engineer had held him in not too long ago and rested his eyes. It was going to feel like a long time before the rays of the Sun came out to melt his freezing frame.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battleground, Heavy trudge into REDs respawn room and lifted the bodies of Pyro and Demo.

**Ahh, did you think I forgot about poor Heavy? Hope this chapter answered some question and gave more too :) RnR please, if you want!**


	9. Weapons

**A/N: Having some writers block. Just a short chapter but I hope you like it allthesame.**  
><strong>Oh yeah, I'm still in search for a beta. Whole jars full mad milk for you if you can assist me in making this a better read! Reviews also well loved and cherished. ONWARDS!<strong>

It was the warble of Medic's stomach that woke Engineer. Not his splitting headache - well, that _may_ have been a big factor as well - but intestinal organs gurgling for food right next to his ear overrode everything. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his joints to their full length, growling noisily with content. He looked up midway through his stretch and was greeted with Medic's morning look of disgruntlement. With the hard ground beneath him, concrete walls to support his back and a head that must have weighed at least 20pounds on his stomach, Medic was not a happy camper. Engineer had slipped through Medic's night grasp to use his paunch as a pillow.

"G'mornin' Doc." Engineer gave a toothy grin. It was not a welcome sight to the German.

With a delicate push with just enough force to let the Texan known with presence wasn't welcome in the morning, Medic stood groggily and fixed his matted hair so only a few spikes were disobeying. Engineer followed suit, running a hand over his smooth dome. His hands were instantly fixated on the lump on his forehead when it was discovered. "What do ya reckon we're gonna do?"

Medic eyed his dried blood on the wall. "Ve need nourishment, mein friend." His gut agreed with another rumble and was covered by his hand. Engineer smirked. "Zen, a plan."

Just as the German made a motion towards the respawn, Engineer grabbed his marked arm with a 'hey' and pulled him down for a kiss. Medic responded with his own pressure and parted right before they heard the unmistakable yelling of Soldier.

"As Sun Tzu said, 'Men who do not eat are not eating!' We need food men!" Currently, there was no one in the same room as Soldier save for Demoman's headless body in the Respawn. It did not express any opinion to Soldier's keen observational skills. "Men!"

The empty room filled with the 5 other soldier's at a staggered pace, each in different states of wake. Spy and Sniper both looked like they had been up for a while. Both groomed and awake save for the beginnings of 5oclock shadows. Meanwhile, Scout and Medic were both in the transition of waking. The flighty Boston grunted in agreement for food. They stood in a semi-circle in the foyer. "Ve zhould just go back to our base."

"Yer, then wot? We eat and sing songs 'bout tha BLUs-?"

Spy quickly intervened. "Where is 'eavy?"

Medic blinked when he noticed that everyone was looking at him. It was as if Heavy was his responsibility. "I-I don't know." He felt so stupid. He was so preoccupied with Engineer and still fuming over their argument that he forgot about him. Medic frowned.

"He left 'is gun downstairs."

Medic hummed, deep in thought now. "Heavy-"

"Men, grab your guns! We take inventory of everything and charge out!" Suddenly food was a priority lower.

2 shotguns, 2 knives of different size, a sniper rifle, saw, wrench and a candy cane bat. Each man neatly lined the weapons up and winced at the quality of their stock. If Heavy had been taken, there was probably a lot of people involved and with these weapons, they were sorely outgunned. Heavy's minigun was much too heavy for anyone to take with and Soldier's beloved rocket launcher was sealed behind an unmoveable sheet of metal. With any luck, Heavy had just wandered off.

"Let's go!" Medic wondered if Soldier had purposely screamed in his ear. No matter. The German would get his revenge by planting a boot up his ass soon.

The team grabbed their respected weapons and marched towards their base. Spy sidled against the entrance of the REDs entrance and motioned the rest over when he decided that the coast was clear. Soldier patted the man on the shoulder and led them towards the courtyard. As they rounded to corner, a peculiar sight awaited them.

There, lying as if there was not a single care in the world was Heavy. His body faced the clouds but his eyes were closed with a content look on his face. Peculiarly, 2 freshly rotated strips of soil lay parallel next to him. "Heavy?" Soldier's voice was lowered in a hiss, lest there be enemies and this a trap.

The Russian didn't move. His position was odd. Both arms were neatly settled by his sides and one of his legs was bent outwards on the ground. Medic frowned and quickly whirled around with his saw raised. Engineer followed his lead and eyed the surroundings. "What's up, Doc?"

Medic didn't respond immediately, instead creeping away from the group to provide potential backup from behind. By now, Soldier had his shotgun cocked, Spy with his knife by his side and Sniper and Scout had their weapons out at an arms distance. "You got somethin' planned, Kraut?"

"Be quiet!" Medic hissed. He turned his head to look at Engineer by his left. "Heavy does not sleep like _zhat_."

_Chik-chik_. Soldier snuck towards Heavy with Scout and Sniper in tow. The threesome arched their necks to see beyond the giant body. It was tucked neatly beside the rickety wooden fence that shut them off from the world. "Heavy." Soldier raised his voice an octave to what would be considered a normal person's outside voice but his version of a whisper. Not even a stir. Sniper instantly smacked the flat of his knife against the American's body in panic, pointing at the Russian.

Soldier opened his mouth in protest until his eyes fell upon the gaping hole in Heavy's neck. The same hole Sniper was gazing at with horror. Scout took a few moments and a few steps to see the mark and froze. "DOC-!" Sniper pounced on Scout and clamped his hand over his mouth.

"_Ya bloody twit. Shut it._"

Medic heard the half cry and circled back with Engineer beside him, shotgun at the ready. Spy had planted himself flat against the corridor wall, watching for anyone to drop down the chute. He stalked over the others and swore in his native tongue. "Vhat 'appened 'ere?"

Medic, along with Sniper, cautiously bent down and touched the wound on Heavy's neck. The rest of the men created a barrier with their bodies. Each own nerves maximized and on alert for any movement. "Whatcha think, mate?"

The German scratched his rough chin and hummed in frustration. He quelled his emotions of sadness at seeing his oldest friend dead. They had been through so much and left on such bad terms it was difficult to push down his feelings. Medic bowed his head down and away from Sniper and sniffed. Sniper just looked at him with a sort of understanding. Fingers prodded the hole when he looked back up. "Zhis vound…" Medic coughed to release the shake in his voice. "Zhis vound looks like a burn."

"Wot, like Pyro's flare gun?"

"No. Zhat vould have left a bigger hole. Zhis is small, precise." Medic sniffed the air. "Zhere is no blood."

Sniper looked around. No wonder the scene looked so out of place; the lack of red staining the ground. They both stood and looked at each other. The reflection of the morning light glimmered against each of the soldier's lens. "Now?" Sniper asked just loud enough for the others to hear.

Hands twitched against respected weapons. Medic nodded.

The loading of guns. One.

Feet grinding in the dirt ground in order to gain balance. Two.

"GO!"

**Das cliffhanger, ja?**


	10. Firefight

**IMPORTANT A/N: Couple of things. First off, I've changed a little of Chapter one so the BLUs are actually dead and not in Specatator mode as well as Medic's name has been changed to __Steindorff. __I didn't think Wolfgang suited him. Secondly and thirdly...even...Kevlar was made public in 1971. Yes it was discovered in 1965 but PUBLICLY, not until the 70s. This fact concerns the chapter, I swear. Whilst, if you've seen Terminator 2, remember how Arnie was chasing the T-1000 down the waterways on the motorcycle? Yeah, well, the way he was reloading his shotgun by twirling it was really badass. That is how Soldier is reloading his. :)**

**Still looking for a Beta but very glad people are still reading this. Makes me all warm and fuzzy :3**

It was in Soldier's nature to react first in a fire-fight. With shotgun at the ready and a manic grin spread wide under his helmet, the grizzled American charged helmet first towards the creeping threat that surrounded them. Without looking, Soldier skilfully aimed his gun outwards to his right and blasted 2 of the intruders in the face – the only part of them unprotected -, flipped the gun to pump the next shell into the chamber and pelted the round in the opposite direction to an oncoming enemy. Blood splattered from the close proximity of the explosion all over his uniform whilst a feral growl roared at the direction a group of the men. It was a spectacular display of Soldier in his true psychotic element. Too bad his teammates were preoccupied with their own battles.

Sniper and Spy teamed up, back to back, and danced around, all the while shooting unfamiliar faces full of lead- and Jarate-infused bullets. Some of the men managed to close the gap to a mere couple of feet before having their faces blasted away and jaws realigned if they got too close. Spy couldn't help but quip at Sniper's shooting and facial jabs. "You grizzle ze faces of any man 'ho doesn't bat zheir lashes at you, _mon ami_." The Australian just grunted in response and whipped the long barrel of his rifle so it rested on the Frenchman's shoulder and released a round into an enemy who had snuck up. "_Merce._."

Sniper nodded a response and resumed his position of his chest away from the Frenchman. "You don't seem too worried 'bout all this, mate!" It took a bit of concentration for Sniper to respond to his foreign friend.

Spy laughed. "_Non_, I am, but zhey are terrible zhooters." As he spoke, a flaring round whizzed 2 feet above his head as if proving his point.

"Shut it!" Engineer furiously fired off his gun into a lone intruder and smacked Spy with his unoccupied hand. "We ain't got time for chitchat!" Spy growled and returned his attention back to the assault.

It was then that he noticed Soldier walloping a group of 4 men with his shotgun up on the catwalk. Spy absently fired a few bullets in the opposite direction, much too amused with watching the madman pummel the enemy than actually help. Scout was watching as well. He had thrown his cane like a boomerang at the first intruded he laid eyes upon, knocking the victim out cold and with one less eye. Now all he could do was offer locations and look in admiration every so often at Soldier.

The gangbang Soldier had begun had now come down to a boxing match between the last men standing. Just Soldier and a curious-looking man who now had grotesque cauliflower ears and a face covered in glorious American spittle. Soldier managed to mention that the man should feel privileged for having such patriotic juices running down his ugly face, but the humour was lost on the stranger. Scout watched as he lobbed a powerful punch in the enemy's face, sending him to the floor. "Stay down, maggot!"

And just as it started, the fight ended quickly. The skilled mercenaries, whom had years of non-stop training in the art of murder, were at no match with the mysterious opposition. "I think that's 'bout it guys." Engineer whipped of his goggles off to remove the discharged gunpowder that now fogged his vision. "Ya recko-"

Suddenly a creak to the right, then the squelching thud of a bonesaw lodging itself into an exposed skull. "It iz now."

Sniper grimaced at Medic's delighted eyes. It took little effort to remove his gaze from the crazed doctor to the burnt out hole behind him. Placing a finger in the groove, Sniper frowned. "These aren't normal bullet holes."

"_Oui_ for zhese are not normal men." Spy pointed at the nearest corpse.

For reason not even the cosmos could explain, Sniper and Medic shared a spontaneous mutual look before sauntering over to the body. Medic bent to not only admire the bullet holes that had turned the man's face into a Picasso, but to also get a better description of the armour the men wore and the strange implant the man had attached to his neck. Sniper also placed his gloved hand on the body, sliding his digits against the cool metal suit. "Nevah seen this typ'a armour before. 'ave you, Doc?" Medic silently shook his head and placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought. "Oi Truckie. Take'a look at this, would ya?"

Almost in excitement, Engineer snapped his goggles back over his eyes and rushed to the others. "Well, would'ja look at that." He tilted his helmet back and holstered his gun.

"You recognize the metal?"

Engineer squatted next to Sniper and touched the body. He bit his lip with a frown and snuck a gaze at Medic, who seemed to struggling to stay in a crouched position judging by his swaying and constant need to shuffle, before answering, "Looks like some sorta reinforced metal. Nevah seen it before though. Maybe Kevlar?" Engineer hated being left in the dark about his enemies. It was probably the main reason why he wished Spy's occupation never existed.

"Kevlar? Wot's that?"

Engineer did a double take at his fellow teammates before recognizing himself. "Oh, er, nothin'. Just somethin'…else." The Texan remembered that even though he was no longer his old employers, he still had to keep information confidential about them. Kevlar was still a top secret project, as far as he knew.

Meanwhile, Soldier had taken it upon himself to order Scout to do a quick run through the entire RED facility whilst he himself wiped clean his beloved shotgun. The pesky enemy had got it all dirty when they rammed their faces into it. Typical enemies. Soldier clucked his tongue and grumbled. Just once he wished men would stop trying to hit themselves in the face with _his_ gun.

Spy on the other hand, wandered over to the other men and caught a glimpse of the insignia on the man's shoulder. "Zhat logo," Spy waited till all eyes were on him before continuing, "is from a company who shut down years ago."

Sniper looked for the logo and noted its strange design. It looked like a weird hourglass and most certainly wasn't Mann Co. Which meant someone else knew of the waging war between Redmond and Blutarch Mann. This wasn't possible! "How could they know of Teufort, mate?" Sniper looked increasingly disturbed by the events unfolding before him. "That sheila who recruited us, mate, told me no one would know what we were doin'."

"Vhy are zo vorried, Herr Sniper?"

"I-I'm not. Well, yeah, I am, but so what? Why you pesterin' me Doc? Lay off, oright!"

Engineer thrust his hand to Sniper's chest – a warning to back off. "You lay off the Doc, pardner. What's gotten inta ya?"

Sweat poured down the usually placid Australian's face. "Just…just nothin'. Don't worry ya head." Engineer gave a look that meant their discussion was to continue later. Sniper seemed fine with that.

"In any case, Spah, ya know who these fella's work for?"

Spy nodded sagely and reloaded his gun in such a nonchalant fashion that it seemed as though everything that had just happened was just another day. Technically, killing was an everyday thing, but only if they were killing people wearing blue uniforms. Not black armour. "Zhey are from a company 'ho called zemzelves Black Mesa."

"Ah'm not familiar with them."

"Nor should you be, _mon ami travaillant_. Zhey vere top secret in ze real world."

Medic sighed and turned his head away from the group. _Real world_. Even the thought of it made him shudder. They had been here for so long- killing for so long- that the thought of returning to the other side made his stomach churn. He tried changing the subject; he reinforced his usual grouchy demeanour with even more grouchy-ness. "Herr Sniper, Herr Con- Engineer…Spy. Let's zay ve find zome food before I have to give you all IVs, hmm?"

Sniper and Spy gulped, remembering the early days when IVs were needed before the Uber tech had been introduced. Let history just say it was never administered the ethically correct way when Medic was in a bad mood. Spy fixed his tie with a cough. "Ahem, yes."

Leaving the soon to be rotting corpse in the dust, the RED team gathered themselves up and moved towards the Respawn station. All except Medic.

The doctor turned around and made his tracks towards his dear friend who lay still in the same position where they had found him. Some stray bullets from the fire fight had sunk their marks in his body but still the carefree expression was plastered like a permanent mask on the Russian's face. Medic slowly looked back to see that the rest of his team had departed in the next room before landing heavily on his knees and covering Heavy's chest with his own.

Medic's mask of stone dissolved as the first tear streamed down his angular cheekbones. He wept quietly over his friend, clinging to him tightly whilst murmuring apologies he should have issued while the man was still alive.

Engineer was looking down from the staircase at the spectacle below. To see the most strong minded of men break down set his soft Texan heart into an ache. He knew the true pain of losing a loved one and knew not to intervene even if it hurt him. This was something he knew Medic wanted no one to see. So he stood. Planted at the catwalk like a guardian, making sure the other soldiers didn't come out of the Respawn.

"Engineer." The said man blinked and hesitantly placed his foot down the first step. How did he know he was there? "Do not vorry." Medic pushed himself onto his feet, wiping his eyes from under his glasses and turned to his friend. "Zhere iz nosing I can do for him now." Medic seemed to be assuring himself more than Engineer. His voice cracked under his precise wording. Nonetheless, Engineer ignored the tone offer a hand.

"Ah'm sorry, doctor."

**Next chapter will indeed be the next chapter**


	11. Ready?

**A/N:**** I'm BAAAACK!**

"Where'd ya find tha grub, mate?" Sniper asked whilst slurping his cold beans off his spoon. They weren't something a 5 star restaurant- heck, even a 2 star- would serve but the soldiers weren't the kind of men to be picky about what they ate. Except Spy, who had been fiddling with the beans ever since a can was handed to him.

"Nuna'ya business, bushman! There's a strict code of confidentiality binding me from disclosing any information on where these beans came from!" Soldier turned his back on the Australian and hunched over his food, protecting them from being eaten from the others.

Sniper rolled his eyes and looked at Spy who in turn shrugged and scowled at the American. A smiled curled on his face and shifted his gaze back to Sniper and jibbed, "Zee Soldier 'as a stash of zem in 'is locker. Zheir is a leetle barbed fence guarding zem. It iz very—"

"YOU SCOUNDREL! INTRUDING ON A FELLOW SOLDIERS PRIVATE STORAGE!" Soldier carefully placed his can on the bench he sat on and flung himself at the Frenchman. In turn, Spy stood and quickly sidestepped, causing Soldier to tumble over his seat and land upside down against the wall.

Scout howled in laughed, spraying his meal over the floor and his lap. Even Sniper had a small look of amusement but shifted his feet from the oncoming spray opposite him. The sight of Soldier scrambling to look proper was like seeing a cat trying to escape the wetness of a bath. He finally made it to his feet but decided it was best not to repeat what he had just done. Instead he kicked Spy's half-full but discarded bean can so it spilled on the floor and stormed back over to the other side of the room.

Meanwhile, Medic and Engineer had just entered to see the meal pitifully knocked to the ground in very childlike behaviour. "Seems we missed some sorta party." Soldier grunted and returned to eating.

Medic was leaning heavily against his Texan friend, being lead over next to Sniper as the man was offering a freshly open can. He plonked down heavily without so much as a sound and sagged forward to cup his face in his hands. The last 24hours had not treated him too kindly and Medic dreaded to think what the next couple of days would bring him. He felt a gently tap on his arm and looked up. Sniper had a pressed smile on his face and was holding his beans. "Come on, mate. Ya need somethin' in ya." Medic only nodded and accepted his breakfast.

Engineer sat on the other side of Medic, sitting too close to be socially acceptable if it were anyone else, and happily dug into his beans. "Boy howdy, Solly. These must be tha finest sprouts I've munched inna long time." Try as he might, the mood of the room barely registered Engineer's attempt to lighten it. He frowned. "Come on fellas." For all his arrogance on the battlefield, Engineer hated to be in a gloomy room.

"Just shut up, hardhat." Scout sucked in a deep breath of oxygen, preparing himself for a monologue that he oh-so enjoyed. "What are we even doin'? We're just sitting here and not even killin' tha BLUs coz they're all dead and we have nothin' to do besides kill strange lookin' guys with weird gun and wearin' black. I dunno 'bout chuu but I only like killin' guys who are wearin' blue coz maybe I've been here so long but mostly coz I don't like the colour blue anyway but you see what I mean about them wearin' black though. They ain't BLU or RED, they're-"

"BLACK! Good work, Private!" Soldier slapped Scout on the back as if the boy had given him an epiphany. Sniper and Spy exchange confused glances whilst Engineer just raised a brow. Well, one must assume he did under his hat and goggles. Medic just appeared to be more interested in devouring his food than what was happening. "Gentlemen, we are off Black Mesa!"

"_Oui, Monsieur_, but do you even know where zey are?"

Soldier contemplated this question for a brief couple of seconds before pointing a finger to the ceiling and exclaiming, "No! So we are now going to scrap that ridiculous notion that Scout has given," the said runner cracked his mouth open in protest, but Soldier's loud megaphone of a mouth drowned him out, "and we are now off to Headquaters!"

Spy slapped a hand to his face and shook his head. They didn't even know where Headquarters was. Well, except for him, but he was under strict orders never to reveal this information. "Do you know where _zey_ are?"

Solder huffed. Thankfully, Medic decided this was a good time to enter the conversation. "He does not, but you _do_, Spy." Medic knew he had exposed Spy and gave an evil smile in doing so.

Spy in turn glared daggers at the doctor. "And 'ow vould you know, Doctuer?" His voice was straining to hold his anger.

"You have a habit of mumbling locations venever you are under morphine, Herr Spy."

"Right, Frenchie, you will show us the way. And none of this French funny business you like to do!"

"Alrighty then. We gotta move out. Don't wanna wait til the Sun goes down, do we?" Engineer clapped his hands together, causing the other room occupants to stir into motion. "Spy, you and Sniper might wanna be tha ones to grab provisions, seeing as ya know how long the trips gonna be." Spy nodded at Engineer's request, a frown still plastered firmly beneath his balaclava and walked out with Sniper in tow towards the bases pantry. Sniper had grabbed a massive duffle bag that was wedged inside his own locker.

"Right, Solly, ya mind getting' all tha weapons over to the loading dock?"

Ever since everything started going to pot and Engineer placing himself as the level-headed leader, Soldier had begun to feel a bit emasculated. "No, you piece of Canadian Syrup! You go get the truck, and _I'll_ get the weapons, you hear me!"

Engineer scratched his helmet with a finger, thinking it best not to rebut. Instead, he smiled. "Alright, pardner." He watched behind tinted goggles as Soldier yanked Scout up by the arm and dragged him out.

Turning around, Engineer softened his smile when he spotted Medic over at his locker. He was busying himself in gingerly slipping his arms in a replacement coat that he didn't even register Engineer next to him until he started helping him with the coat. Medic shivered as the bulky but cold coat hugged his body and began to button it up. "Herr Engineer," Medic captured the Texan's attention with a low gravelly inquisition, "do you trust Spy?"

Engineer contemplated for a bit. "Ah got no choice, Doc."

This answered seemed to satisfy Medic for the time being, not wanting to talk at length right now. He walked away from his friend and began to rummage through each locker, as if on a mission of his own. Engineer watched for short while before informing that he'd be at the garage if he'd care to join. "_Ja_ just a moment." Medic quickly shoved various items from Demoman's and his own locker, as well as Pyro's before following the shorter man with a limp in his step. "You know zhere ist no petrol in zee cars, _ja_?"

"Ah know. Ah'm the one who syphoned them. We were gonna be here for a while, didn' wanna rust tha trucks by havin' all that gas in em, now did I?" Medic nodded in amusement.

"You right there, Doc?" Engineer had noticed as they were making their way down the steps and around the bend that his German companion was starting to hobble even more. "Somethin' wrong with ya leg there?" Medic grabbed his coat and pinned his coattails closer to his body, confirming.

"_Nein_."

Engineer frowned at Medic's blatantly obvious lie and stopped the man with a hand on his chest. "Now listen here, Medic. Ya gotta trust me. What's with you?"

Looking past Engineer into the distance, not quite registering what he was looking at, Medic replied, "You know I don't really follow zee oath," Engineer nodded, knowing all too well what sick practises the doctor got up to, " but I am zee medic of zee team zo I must treat all others above myself. I know my limits, Engineer, zo I must save all our medical supplies for everyone else." Medic sniffed and pointedly looked down at the American.

In turn, Engineer smirked. He had never such a noble side of Medic before. "Ah know what ya mean, Doc. But if you go down, where does that leave us?"

"I…" Medic stopped, knowing his friend had won and not overly interested in getting into a debate. "I vill treat myself on zee way." Medic swung his arm around Engineer's shoulder for support and restarted their trip to the garage. Muffled gun shots rang from a short distance away.

A large hole smouldered through the wired fence that blocked the Fort from the outside world. A dozen shotgun shells lay at the base of the gate. Seems Soldier wasn't in the mood to be patient for bolt cutters. Engineer shook his head. He walked past the grumbling American to retrieve the jerrycans and help Medic into the first RED truck.

Dry heat and the desert air had lessened the supply of petrol by almost half, Engineer pondered. The cans weren't in the same place he had put them and 2 were already missing. He looked around and saw Scout struggling to dump the fuel in the second car's tank. "Son, what d'ya think ya doin'?"

The Texan stormed over to the young boy and snatched the can away. "Hey-"

"Ya dribblin' it all ovah the ground, city boy. You never learnt how to do something' like this? Or were you tha type to take tha fuel out?" Scout growled, throwing his arms in the air and raged off; muttering how Texas was full of nothing but cow droppings. Engineer just chuckled to himself and continued loading the trucks up.

In the meantime, Medic sat with his legs out of the truck and roamed his eyes over the now busy yard. Scout seemed to be trying to rub fuel off the front of his shirt. That wasn't going to get him very far, mused Medic. Soldier, on the other hand, was winning the award for most loudest. He had seen a curious shovel lying discarded on the ground and was in the middle of soothing it and reassuring it that he'd be there for it during all seasons of the year.

Medic rubbed his eye in puzzlement and decided best to just look away and not question the man. Sniper and Spy had made quick work of the pantry and shared the duty of hauling Sniper's duffle between them. It appeared that they were sharing a friendly conversation. Medic smiled at the sight and looked over to his own slice of friendship.

Engineer was capping the fuel tank and loading the last 2 full cans on the back of Medic's truck when he felt eyes on him. His goggles stared back at Medic and an awkwardly toothy grin sprouted on his lips. If all went to plan, he and Medic could share the trip alone.


	12. Drive

It was already 8 hours into their journey; one that Engineer was slowly regretting. There was no sign of any civilization besides long abandoned cabins and barns that looked like they hadn't been used in decades and the ruins of one of their freight trains which held nothing but rotten food. Along with the stifling heat was the fact that his travelling companion had become increasingly restless, Engineer wished for night to show itself already. Lord knows he was tired from this monotonous drive. The sturdiness of the truck didn't even offer the comfort of jolting about any time he drove over a rock or pothole. He liked that bump.

Glancing back in the side mirror, Engineer noted the state of the canvas tarp they had strapped over the Ute's tray. It now resembled more of an army truck but the tarp was ripped in some areas and threatened to expose the weaponry and gas tanks underneath. Engineer grumbled and rubbed his eyes, his goggles discarded along with his helmet on the padded seating between him and Medic. If they continued to drive in the direction of the sunset, he was just going to pull over and wait until morning, or at least rest until it was the middle of the night. But he couldn't stop. Not until Spy pulled over. This reminded him. How on Earth did that pesky Frenchman hide that Renault 4CV from the rest of them, himself especially? He rubbed his chin and continued to concentrate on the darkening road, dismissing the thought. It didn't matter.

That is until Medic shuffled again. The man had only replied in noncommittal gestures and noise ever since they started the trip and kept his back to him. Engineer frowned. Might as well try again. He thought they would be having a good time during the drive. Seems he was mistaken. "Hey, Doc?"

"Mm?" A sloshing noise could be heard faintly.

"What're doin' ovah there?"

Medic moved around agitatedly, unfastening his belt buckle that held his medical pouches and threw it haphazardly to his feet. He grabbed his neck in a choking fashion and removed the top few buttons, breathing heavily. His hair had become slick with sweat over the course of the trip due to no air condition and the lack of cool wind despite having an open window and stuck up on end when Medic had run his fingers through it. "Nngh!" More noise and movements of discomfort followed along with the curious sound of liquid.

Engineer raised a brow and looked at his friend with inquisitiveness. "You right there, Doc?" It may be late in the afternoon, but it was understandably hot enough to bother the man in the thick coat.

"Keep your eyez on ze road, Dummkopf!" Medic's sudden outburst was all Engineer needed to slam on the brakes and lunge over to pry whatever the man was hiding away. "Vhat are…?" A violent yank and a punch to the head gave Engineer the upper hand. That's not to say he felt powerful after assaulting the doctor, but the German in turn had gripped his arm in a vice-like hold in order to stop him and had left deep purple marks behind.

"What's gotten inta-" he looked at the object in his hand. A bottle – a ¾ empty bottle – of Scrumpy. Engineer jiggled it to listen for its contents and frowned heavily at Medic. "What're you doin' with Demo's grog, Doc?"

In response, Medic smirked as his ran a gloved hand over his bruising cheek, flashing his teeth. "_Umso besser, Sie mit küssen,_ _Ingenieur."_ He didn't give the Texan a verbal translation as he pounced on the smaller man and crushed their lips together. He ignored the way his back screamed at him in protest of the angle he was bent and sloppily snaked his tongue into Engineer's slackened mouth.

Said Texan was too shocked to even respond, let along tighten his mouth or push(pull?) the doctor away. But soon he was savouring the feel of the moist, soft lips of the other man and wound his arms under the white medical coat after undoing the last of the few buttons, feeling a mixture of smooth and bumpy skin underneath. Engineer released a moan when Medic's tongue slowed down and gently caressed his own.

Finger travelled downwards from his unclasped overalls, releasing his belt buckle and messing up his neatly pressed shirt so it hung limply open on his lap. "Doc," Engineer's hot breath came in gasps over the German's lips. His weak protest encouraged Medic to deepen the kiss. The taste of granola, from their lunch, and pungent Scottish alcohol overwhelmed Engineer's sense, dampening his urgency and only wanting Medic to continue his mission of releasing him from his pants.

Medic freed himself from the kiss and grinned drunkenly. "Ve vill continue ziss soon, _ja_?" He emphasized he promise with a sneaky grope of Engineer's crotch. The man grunted in surprise as the hand slowly stroked upwards and the owner jerked his head over to the oncoming headlights. How he saw them with his eyes almost clouded in a mist of alcohol, Engineer would never know. But what he did know was that he had a bulge in his pants that needed to hide before the cars stopped. Gazing at the surprisingly seductive German was not helping. His coat was hanging open and a matching dent in his pants was being covered with his coattails. He grinned. Least he wasn't the only one. But how was he going to explain Medic's drunken state?

"You better have a good excuse of stopping, you maple-eating Texan!" Engineer was sure with even the man's voice to go from, his erection died a bit.

He poked his head out of the window. "Doc's not feelin' good, Solly."

"Well, tell the Kraut to put a band aid on! We don't have time for stopping for pansy things like that!"

A third voice entered the conversation. "We gotta take a break anyway, mate. Me an' Frenchie can't keep drivin' all night." Even with a seemly unlimited supply of coffee, Sniper had to make an effort in keeping his eyes open. He stretched his back and yawned. Said Frenchman was also doing various stretches, but unlike Sniper, his attire was still neatly buttoned. Sniper had already removed his vest and 3 buttons were loose. He peered over at Engineer at his state of dress as he stepped out of the cab. "You hot, Engie? Thought you'd be usta the weather 'ere."

Engineer was. The heat hadn't affected him nearly as much as it had with Medic. "You're one ta talk." He response came off more defensive as he would've like.

"Right." Sniper nodded with a smile, his eyes flickering to Medic, who had suddenly stumbled out of the truck's cabin. "Wot's 'is problem? He real sick or somethin'?"

Quick as a flash Engineer was by Medic's side before the man could trip over his feet. Before he could respond though, the bottle of Scrumpy that Medic had nursed the whole journey rolled out and shattered on the ground, its golden liquid wasted on the desert. Sniper quirked a brow, as did Spy who was now joining the circle. Soldier on the other hand, reeled at the site. "He stole Demo's Scrumpy!"

"Leave him alone, pardner!" Engineer held a hand out in defence.

"I will not! This Nazi is nothing but a problem!"

"How you figure that, son? He's our doctor."

"He's a coward, is what he is!"

"Zhat vas not Demoman's bottle, herr Soldier."

"I thought I told you enough with your non-American gibberish, Fritz!" Soldier was within a meter of the pair. "And of course it was Demoman's bottle!"

"Nein, nein," Medic's speech was slurred at this point, "he had given me zhe bottle ven I replasssed hiz liver."

Soldier looked at him sceptically (one assumes) and growled. "We're stopping under my orders! We move out now!"

Spy casually flicked his blunt cigarette on the ground in the middle of them and casual pulled out another. "_Non_, I believe zis iz an excellent place to ztop." He voice matched the smoothness of his fluid motions of lighting his stick. This only infuriated Soldier more.

"Who put you in charge, baguette?"

"Certainly not you, _mon pomme de terre fort_. But zince I am zee one 'ho knowz zee way, I am calling zee zhots." Spy offered a sly wink at Engineer's direction.

Soldier slammed his boot on the ground in anger, throwing a colourful array of curse at Spy's general direction before storming back to his truck. Scout, who had been watching everything from inside the car, blasted Soldier's ear full of 10minutes worth of missed conversation. The car drove off the side of the road and parked. That was to be their resting area for the night.

"Much obliged, Spah."

Spy nodded with a smirk and turned away. Sniper tipped his hat at the duo and followed in suit back to their car. It was going to be a quiet night.

**The smut will be coming next chapter, as promised and as a forewarning. I don't know how well it will be considering it'll be my first slash, so if anyone wants to offer insights of what they would like to see, I'd be happy to incorporate those ideas into the final draft...nothing too gross though. :)**


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